Snoqualmie Tribal Curriculum
About Our Curriculum
Please watch this video to learn about the Snoqualmie Tribe Curriculum and how to use it.
About The Snoqualmie Tribe—sdukʷalbixʷ
The Snoqualmie Tribe—sdukʷalbixʷ in our Native language—consists of a group of Coast Salish Native American peoples from the Southern Salish Sea region of Washington State.
We have been in the Southern Salish Sea region and the Snoqualmie Valley since time immemorial. šəqaʔłdəł / sqʷəd (Snoqualmie Falls) is the birthplace of the sdukʷalbixʷ. We had more than 90 long houses along the Snoqualmie River and its tributaries. These rivers and streams were the highways used to travel from village to village and connected all the ʔaciłtalbixʷ (Natives). The fish, game, trees and roots provided us with everything we need to live. All of this was given to us by dukʷibəł (Transformer) in the ancient times when all of the animals could talk and before things were what they are now.
We are the sdukʷalbixʷ, the Transformer’s People, also known as People of Moon. We have lived, hunted and fished this area for as long as the earth and rivers remember. We are still here today; caring for the land, water, fish and game that dukʷibəł gave us.
Sacred Connections
Sacred Connections Youtube Video: Due to cultural practices associated with the passing of a Tribal Elder who is depicted in this video access to the video has been temporarily removed. We expect access to the video to be restored in Spring 2027.
šəqaʔłdəł /sqʷəd is our birthplace. The mists carry our thoughts and prayers to the spirits and ancestors as they cleanse our thoughts. The rushing waters give us the strength to keep our traditions alive and to continue to thrive in the modern times.
Long before the early explorers came to the Pacific Northwest, our people hunted deer and elk, fished for salmon, and gathered berries and wild plants for food and medicine. Today, many of our members live in the communities of Snoqualmie, North Bend, Fall City, Carnation, Issaquah, Mercer Island and Monroe.
Our Tribe was a signatory of the Point Elliott Treaty with the Washington territory in 1855. At that time, our people were one of the largest tribes in the Puget Sound region totaling around 4,000. The Federal government stopped recognizing Snoqualmie in 1953, but after much battle, we regained federal recognition in October of 1999 through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Today, the Snoqualmie Tribe is made up of approximately 1500 members. The Snoqualmie Tribe is governed by an elected Council and our Tribal Constitution.
Developing Our Curriculum
In 2015, the WA State Legislature passed Senate Bill 5433 modifying the original 2005 legislation, now requiring the Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington state or other tribally-developed curriculum be taught in all schools. In 2015 the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe began the process of developing their own curriculum to be taught in all schools in the Snoqualmie Tribe ancestorial lands.