The Samish people are, linguistically and culturally, part of the Coast Salish. Traditionally, they spoke a dialect of Coast Salish known as Straits Salish rather than the Lushootseed dialect used by some of their neighbors to the east.
The traditional territory of the Samish, included a wide region of the Salish Sea in Northwest Washington State, from the tops of the Cascades Mountains to the far western shores of the San Juan Islands.
The name "Samish" is an Anglicization of the Samish term, Xws7ámesh, which translates to "people who are there" or "people who exist."
Prior to contact with Europeans, the Samish fished the islands and channels of the coast in Skagit County. They had villages on Fidalgo, Guemes, and Samish islands, and they fished there, as well as in the San Juan Islands.
The Samish people were known for their skills in carving canoes and for the construction of longhouses. A longhouse on the eastern end of Samish Island was reported to be 1,250 feet long.
When first contacted by Europeans in 1847, the Samish had more than 2,000 members. However, by 1855, at the time of the Point Elliott Treaty, its numbers had dwindled to about 150 people due to disease epidemics and attacks from other tribes to the north.
Although members of the Samish tribe attended the Point Elliott Treaty negotiations, no Samish were signatories of the treaty. They were attached to it through the signature of a Lummi chief but were not given a reservation of their own. Some Samish people moved onto reservations assigned to the Lummi or Swinomish people. Those who moved onto the Swinomish Reservation were given only six household allotments for the entire tribe.
Several of the Samish people refused to go onto the reservations, opting to remain on their traditional lands. Some members went to Guemes Island to establish New Guemes, now known as Potlatch Beach, where they built a longhouse that housed more than a hundred people. By 1912, they had been pushed off the island by white American settlers, and most were relegated to the Swinomish Reservation or other reservations.
In 1926, the Samish reorganized, adopting a formal constitution that included a plan for an electoral government. In 1971, they were awarded $5,754.96 in compensation for lands taken from them under the terms of the Point Elliott Treaty. The judgment held that they had exclusively held 9,233 acres of land at the time of the treaty.
In 1996, the Samish were recognized by the United States government, and they adopted the name "Swamish Indian Nation" in 1998.
The Samish Indian Nation is a Northern Straits branch of Central Coast Salish peoples, headquartered in Anacortes, on Fidalgo Island, north of Puget Sound. Its historical territory includes Fidalgo Island, Guemes Island, Lopez Island, Samish Island, and southeast San Juan Island. A 19th-century promise of a reservation was not fulfilled, but the tribe has been building a land base since the 1990s and now owns more than 200 acres.
While English is the primary language among members of the Samish Indian Nation, the traditional language is Samish, a dialect of Straits Salish, a Central Salish language. The Nation hosts programs aimed at reviving the use of the Samish language.
Other Samish people are enrolled in the Swinomish Reservation of Washington and the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation.
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is a federally recognized tribe on Puget Sound that includes the Central and Coast Salish peoples who inhabited the Samish and Skagit River valley, nearby coasts, and islands. Its members include descendants of the Swinomish, Lower Skagit, Upper Skagit, Kikiallus, and Samish peoples.
The Tulalip Tribes of Washington are a federally recognized tribe of Duwamish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish people, who are South and Central Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
Samish oral history includes teachings of the plant people, sea creatures, fur-bearing, and winged creatures. Known as the Chelangen, these stories illustrate the ways in which the natural and spiritual worlds entwine and cannot be separated, and are intended to guide the Samish people in their daily lives.
Nearly everything they needed could be found living on the beaches or in the waters close to shore. Samish women collected a wide variety of traditional foods, including sprouts, bulbs, roots, shoots, berries, shellfish, sea urchins, and crabs, while Samish men built beach seines, reef nets, and weirs to manage dozens of fish runs, including species of Pacific Salmon, smelt, herring, steelhead trout, halibut, sucker, chub, and sometimes even sturgeon. They also hunted deer, elk, seals, upland birds, waterfowl, and small game.
Topics related to the Samish people are appropriate for this portion of our web guide.
Recommended Resources
Since 2004, the Samish Indian Nation has owned Fidalgo Bay Resort, a recreational vehicle resort with 139 full hook-up sites and 8 water-view cabins. Located on Fidalgo Island, outside of Anacortes, Washington, the resort offers views of Mount Baker, the San Juan Islands, Fidalgo Bay, and the Tommy Thompson scenic walking trail. Also included is a convention center with a banquet room that can accommodate up to 250 people and a gift shop. A list of amenities, and online bookings are available.
https://fidalgobay.com/
Samcor is a Samish Indian Nation economic development corporation whose goals are to manage its own operations, operate and improve existing tribal businesses, develop or acquire new businesses, assist tribal entrepreneurs, and assist and coordinate with other Samish Indian Nation economic activities. Its board members are acknowledged, with contacts, and its managed enterprises are listed, with information, contacts, and links to business websites and other resources.
https://www.samcor.biz/
The Coast Salish nation has a government-to-government relationship with the United States. Headquartered in Anacortes, on Fidalgo Island, Washington, the Samish Nation is a signatory to the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855. Its history, culture, and a calendar of events are published on the website. The tribal government, properties, enterprises, and enrollment policies are set forth, along with council election reports, council meeting agendas, and contacts.
https://www.samishtribe.nsn.us/
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
The Swinomish Tribe is a federally recognized tribe on Puget Sound, on the southeastern side of Fidalgo Island, in Washington State. The tribe's population includes Swinomish, Lower Skagit, Upper Skagit, Kikallus, and Samish peoples. The tribe's headquarters is in Swinomish Village. This article provides an overview of the Swinomish people, the tribe's economy, government, reservation, and tribal code. Tribal enterprises, services, and programs are also included.
https://swinomish.org/
The Tulalip Tribes of Washington is a federally recognized tribe of Duwamish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish people. The reservation was established under the terms of the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott. The tribe's history, heritage, reservation, and sovereignty are highlighted, along with the tribal government, leadership, and board of directors. Member services and programs, job opportunities, and visitor services are discussed.
https://www.tulaliptribes-nsn.gov/
