The Swinomish (pronounced with the accent on the first syllable) are an historically Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives in the southeastern part of Fidalgo Island near the San Juan Islands in Skagit County, Washington. Skagit County is located about 70 miles (110 km) north of Seattle. The federally recognized Swinomish Indians of the Swinomish Reservation or Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is headquartered in La Conner.[1]
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The Swinomish Indian Reservation, at , has a land area of 12.116 sq mi (31.381 km²) and a 2000 census resident population of 2,664 persons, with 23% being full-blood Native Americans.[2]
The Swinomish moved onto reservation lands after the signing of the Point Elliott Treaty in 1855.[3]
The Swinomish reservation is a confederation of several distinct tribes of Coast Salish, including the Swinomish, Kikiallus, Lower Skagit, Samish, and even a few Sauk-Suiattle. Some Samish tribal members have achieved legal re-recognition separately for the Samish Indian Nation on April 26, 1996 and its government offices are located nearby in Anacortes, Washington. The Kikiallus (Ki Ki Allus) were among the first inhabitants of Fir Island, the Skagit River Delta and Valley and the adjacent coastline and islands. As a matter of record the chief of the tribe, John Lyons AKA (Chief Patch-Akadim ), gave a deposition for the Kikiallus tribe at Swinomish Indian Reservation on March 8, 1927. Chief Lyons is also known for his whimsical toy creations called "folk" Totem Toys. These toys feature mostly small boat like wooded carvings with totems or animals figure heads, brightly painted for sale to tourists. These toys are highly prized today by collectors and historians alike.
The Swinomish people speak a dialect of the Salishan Lushootseed language.[4]
The lifestyle of the Swinomish, like many Northwest Coast tribes, involves the fishing of salmon and collecting of shellfish. Their fishing rights were guaranteed by the Point Elliott Treaty.[3]
The tribe owns and operates the Swinomish Casino, the Two Salmon Cafe, and the Starlight Lounge in Anacortes, Washington, which employ 250 people.[5]
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