October 9 is Indigenous Peoples' Day in Olympia

The Olympia City Council signed a proclamation yesterday declaring October 9, 2023, Indigenous Peoples' Day to recognize and celebrate Indigenous heritage, culture, and history.

Through the proclamation, Olympia honored and acknowledged the indigenous people who have stewarded the land and continue to reside in the region today, especially the Steh-Chass Band of the Squaxin Island Tribe.

"The Steh-Chass people continue to steward these ancestral lands, from the Deschutes watershed and what is now Budd Inlet, and the Squaxin continue to call themselves 'People of Water' because of the bounty of the region's waterways and artesian waters, which have sustained the people of millennia," the proclamation stated.

By recognizing and honoring the Medicine Creek Treaty, the Squaxin Island Tribe and Olympia established a strong government-to-government relationship.

On October 7, 2021, Olympia re-signed and reaffirmed their accord with the Squaxin Island Tribe "in the spirit of understanding and mutual respect, and committed to long-term actions."

The Medicine Creek Treaty is part of a series of mid-19th-century treaties between the United States government and Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest. This treaty aimed to facilitate white settlement and development in the region while offering protections for Native Americans.

Squaxin Island Tribe member Jeremiah George received the proclamation on behalf of the tribe. He thanked the city council by singing a one verse of blessing song from his great-grandfather.

Squaxin Vice Chair Jaimie Cruz thanked the city council for honoring the tribe with the proclamation. Despite past challenges, she spoke about the need to "move forward, learn from the past, and teach the next generations to be stewards of the land."

"We're going to take this home, and we're going to tell our community the respect that you guys all have shown us," Cruz said of the proclamation.