Learn about the Duwamish Tribe here
It all started when…
The Duwamish people have been in the Seattle/Greater King County area since time immemorial. Our stories, such as "North Wind, South Wind", tell of the last Ice Age, and an Ice Weir breaking over the Duwamish River.
We were the first signatories on the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, signed by Chief Si'ahl, who was chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes.
Our longhouse today stands across the street from where one of our largest villages was located before it was burned down by settlers in 1895.
We are the host tribe for Seattle, our area’s only indigenous tribe. Many of our enrolled members still live on Duwamish aboriginal territory, which includes Seattle, Burien, Tukwila, Renton, and Redmond. Our tribe is governed by a 1925 constitution and its bylaws. The six-members* tribal council, headed by Cecile Hansen since 1975, meets monthly, and tribal gatherings are held at least annually. Tribal leadership has been very stable with fewer than six changes in leadership in the last 85 years.
Duwamish Tribal Services, is a 501[c]3 organization established in 1983 by the Duwamish Tribal Council to promote the social, cultural, and economic survival of the Duwamish Tribe. We brought suit against the government in 1925 and received a positive judgement for our claims in 1934, each of our members receiving payment from the government in 1964. We filed our first petition for recognition in 1978 and have been working for that acknowledgment ever since in the face of great odds.
We regularly provide Duwamish representatives and speakers for public engagements in the community, schools, universities, and heritage and service organizations. Consistent with native protocol, the Duwamish routinely greet visiting foreign and tribal leaders when they visit our area. Our tribal board members sit on the boards of key community and governmental organization concerning environmental, heritage, tourism, and neighborhood issues.
Since the 1980s, DTS has administered the Emergency Food Assistance Program funded by the Washington State’s Office of Community, Trade, and Economic Development. The program provides on average 72 native people and their families with monthly foods vouchers and other support services.
We are the host tribe for Seattle.
In 1983, after more than 100 years of broken United States treaty promises, the Dxʷdəwʔabš established Duwamish Tribal Services as a non-profit 501[C]3 organization to provide social and cultural services to the Duwamish Tribal community.
In the absence of federal recognition, funding, and human services, Duwamish Tribal Services has struggled to provide numerous social, educational, health, and cultural programs during the past 35 years. The Duwamish Tribe currently has around 600 enrolled members*. Many more people have dxʷdəwʔabš ancestry but have chosen to enroll with federally recognized tribes, in order to obtain health and other human services.
For over 30 years, Cecile Hansen has been the elected chair of the Duwamish Tribe*. Cecile Hansen is the great great grandniece of Chief Si’ahl'. Cecile Hansen is also a founder and former president of Duwamish Tribal Services.
Seattle's First People, the dxʷdəwʔabš, welcomes support from all sources, public and private. Contributions to Duwamish Tribal Services, a 501(c)(3) organization registered with the State of Washington and the IRS, are tax-deductible.
To support the Duwamish Tribe and the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, contact the Honorable Cecile Hansen at Duwamish Tribal Services, 4705 West Marginal Way SW, Seattle, 98106, or call (206) 431-1582 or email us a info@duwamishtribe.org
This we know; The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know, all things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected”
--Chief Si’ahl, Namesake of the City of Seattle
Why Pay Real Rent?
This land has a story. What role will you play?
The Duwamish have lived here since time immemorial. Their culture and identity are tied to the history and health of the land. We stand to learn from the Tribe as stewards of this area and to act in solidarity with them to keep this place alive and thriving.
The Duwamish are integral to the city of Seattle
Generations of Seattleites continue to benefit from the Duwamish People's presence and stewardship of this land. Today, tribal elders spend countless hours offering blessings at events and educating our community on the rich history of this place and her Peoples. We could not call this city home without the Duwamish Tribe.
The Tribe does not benefit from federal recognition.
The Duwamish do not have just access to the resources of their homelands. After decades of resistance to erasure, the Duwamish remain unacknowledged by the federal, state, and local governments.
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Redistribution of resources is one concrete step towards justice.
Our government hasn't honored the treaty, but WE can.
In 1971, 1,000 Duwamish members were paid $64 each for their land.
That is $64,000 for 54,000 acres of land.
$64,000 adjusted for inflation today would maybe buy a single 1,000 square foot tiny home.
In 2017, the median household income for Seattleites was $82,133.
We need to work together to begin to account for this and countless other inequities.
How Will My Rent Make An Impact?
100% of Real Rent goes to the non-profit, Duwamish Tribal Services, run by the Duwamish Tribe.
With limited resources, DTS provides social, educational, health, and cultural services.
They operate the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, which is a free museum, event space and community center.
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What's the “Right" Rent?
Just as everybody’s financial situation is unique, so is the amount of rent that will feel meaningful to you. You may choose to give a percentage of your income or monthly rent/mortgage, or perhaps there is another number that holds symbolic significance for you. For example, paying $54 a month could serve as a powerful reminder of the 54,000 acres of homeland that the Duwamish Tribe signed over to settlers in 1855.
“The Duwamish people are on my mind and in my heart. My donation of $18.55 per month is symbolic of the broken promises since the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855 and of how I and many others are trying to help in the here and now.”
--Patrick, Seattle (Madrona)