The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, formerly known as the Port Gamble Indian Community of the Port Gamble Reservation or the Port Gamble Band of S'Klallam Indians is a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

of S'Klallam people, located on the

Kitsap Peninsula The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kits ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. They are an

Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are composed of many nations and tribal affiliations, each with distinctive cultural and political identities. They share certain beliefs, traditions and practices, such as the centrality of sal ...

Reservation

The Port Gamble S'Klallam Reservation, located in the northern part of

Kitsap County, Washington Kitsap County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton. The county was formed out of King County and Jefferson County on ...

. It was founded in 1938 and is collectively held by the tribe. The reservation covers .Pritzker 193 The land is counted by the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

as the

Port Gamble Tribal Community Port Gamble Tribal Community is a census-designated place (CDP) corresponding to the Port Gamble S'Klallam Reservation in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 916 at the 2010 census. Geography The tribal community is in ...

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

, with an on-site population of 916 as of the 2010 census.

Government

The tribe's headquarters is in

Kingston, Washington Kingston (formerly Appletree Cove) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,099 at the 2010 census. Kingston is along the shores of Appletree Cove and Puget ...

. The tribe is governed by a democratically elected, six-member tribal council. The current administration is as follows: * Chairman: Paul Hibbert * Vice-Chairman: Scott Moon * Council Member: Michael Sullivan Jr. * Council Member: Big Myc * Council Member: Tanner Cheyney * Council Member: Chaddy Man."Tribal Government: Tribal Council."
''Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe.'' Retrieved 4 Aug 2013. The tribe ratified its constitution in 1939. To enroll in the tribe, members must have a 1/8 minimum

blood quantum Blood quantum laws or Indian blood laws are laws in the United States that define Native American status by fractions of Native American ancestry. These laws were enacted by the federal government and state governments as a way to establ ...

Language

Traditionally, S'Klallam people speak the

S'Klallam language Klallam (also Clallam, although the spelling with "K" is preferred in all four modern Klallam communities) refers to four related indigenous Native American/ First Nations communities from the Pacific Northwest of North America. The Klallam cu ...

, a

Central Salish language The Salishan (also Salish) languages are a family of languages of the Pacific Northwest in North America (the Canadian province of British Columbia and the American states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana). They are characterised by ag ...

. It is very similar to the Saanich dialect of the

Straits Salish language North Straits Salish is a Salish language which includes the dialects of *Lummi (also known as W̱lemi,Ćosen, Xwlemiʼchosen, xʷləmiʔčósən) ''(†)'' * Saanich (also known as Senćoten, sənčáθən, sénəčqən) *Samish (also known as S ...

. A grammar book has been published in the language, and it is taught in elementary and high school.

Economic development

The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe owns and operates the Point Casino, Market Fresh Buffet, Little Boston Bistro, and Point Julia Deli, all located in Kingston."The Point Casino."
''500 Nations.'' Retrieved 4 Aug 2013.

Notes

References

* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .

External links

Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Port Gamble Band Of S'Klallam Indians Klallam Native American tribes in Washington (state) Geography of Kitsap County, Washington Federally recognized tribes in the United States Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast