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The Steilacoom Tribe
Tribal Headquarters
PO Box 88419
1515 Lafayette Street
Steilacoom, WA 98388
(253) 584-6308
Enrolled Members
665
Bands
Steilacoom, Sastuck, Spanaway, Tlithlow, Segwallitchu
The Steilacoom Tribe Today
The Steilacoom Tribe of Indians is centered in Pierce County, Washington. Today our population is approximately the same as in precontact times, around 665. Approximately 94% of the tribe descend from members of the tribe when the Medicine Creek Treaty was signed in 1854. The balance of the tribe come from early 1950’s adoptions of unenrolled Indians from neighboring tribes.
The residential pattern of the tribe is much the same as prior to contact. Steilacoom people continue to live in small family pockets and share resources. A substantial number live in or near our traditional homeland, with about 47% (in 139 households) residing in 12 community pockets of three to twenty families within Pierce County. The majority of the remainder reside in nearby King, Thurston, Mason and Grays Harbor counties.
The close proximity of residence allows us to meet, associate and conduct tribal business on a regular basis. The Steilacoom Tribal Council is the governing body of the tribe. It is composed of 9 members elected every three years by the membership of the tribe at a regularly scheduled General Membership meeting. The Council manages tribal property and assets, and administers tribal funds and programs (e.g. Food & Nutrition, Employment, and Cultural Activities).
Credits/Sources
Marshall, Dan n.d. The Steilacoom Indian Tribe. Steilacoom, WA: The Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center.
Thompson, Mile n.d. Permanent Historical Exhibit, Steilacoom Tribal Museum.
Thompson, Nile 1994 Steilacoom. Native America in the Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia, pp. 617-618. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc.
Thompson, Nile and Dan Marshall 1990 Steilacoom Tribe of Indians. A Time of Gathering: An Intertribal Welcome (Statements from Thirty-six Washington Tribes), p 37. Seattle: Thomas Burke Memorial Washington State Museum.
The longhouse cedar image that appears in the background of our website is of the Longhouse Education and Cultural Center at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.
Original content by Kevin Ward, 2001. Updated 2007.
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