Who Are the Puyallup?
The Puyallup Tribe of Indians are an indigenous people of the southern Puget Sound, with approximately 5,400 enrolled members (federally recognized). Their name derives from the Lushootseed spuyaləpabš, meaning "generous and welcoming behavior to all people" or "people from the bend at the bottom of the river." They speak Southern Lushootseed (Salish), critically endangered with very few speakers. Traditional Puyallup territory included the Puyallup River valley, Commencement Bay (now Tacoma), and nearby islands. The tribe's fight for fishing rights was central to the Pacific Northwest treaty rights movement that culminated in the Boldt Decision.
River and Mountain
The Puyallup River, flowing from Mount Rainier (Tacoma/Tahoma) to Puget Sound, defined Puyallup life. Salmon runs provided the primary food source; fishing camps lined the river from estuary to foothills. The mountain—visible from throughout Puyallup territory—held spiritual significance; its glaciers fed the river that sustained the people. Prairies provided camas and other roots; forests offered game and materials. Commencement Bay's extensive tidal flats were rich in shellfish. Villages clustered near the river mouth and along its length. This abundance would attract settlers who transformed the landscape into the industrial city of Tacoma.
Fish Wars
The Medicine Creek Treaty (1854) reserved Puyallup fishing rights, but Washington State spent the next century attempting to deny them. In the 1960s-70s, Puyallup and other tribes staged "fish-ins"—deliberately fishing to be arrested and challenge state laws. Leaders like Billy Frank Jr. (Nisqually) and Bob Satiacum (Puyallup) were repeatedly arrested. These confrontations—sometimes violent when state game wardens attacked fishers—drew national attention. The Boldt Decision (1974) vindicated tribal rights, holding that treaties entitled tribes to half of harvestable fish. This victory transformed Northwest fisheries management and affirmed treaty rights as current, not historical, obligations.
Contemporary Puyallup
Modern Puyallup have built major enterprises on their trust lands within Tacoma. The Emerald Queen Casino, operated on a former industrial site, generates significant revenue. The Port of Tacoma surrounds much of the reservation; tribal-port relations are complex. The tribe operates health, housing, and education programs; Chief Leschi Schools serve the community. Land claims—settled in 1990 for $162 million—enabled reinvestment in the community. Environmental restoration of the heavily industrialized Puyallup River continues. Language revitalization and cultural programs maintain traditions. How the Puyallup exercise sovereignty within Washington's third-largest city while restoring their polluted homeland shapes this treaty-rights tribe's future.
References
- Harmon, A. (1998). Indians in the Making: Ethnic Relations and Indian Identities around Puget Sound
- Cohen, F. S. (1986). Treaties on Trial: The Continuing Controversy over Northwest Indian Fishing Rights
- Puyallup Tribal Council. (2020). Tribal History and Cultural Resources