Consulting Tribes of San Juan Island National Historical Park
The National Park Service consults with park-associated Coast Salish Tribes and groups in activities that may impact Tribes having longstanding cultural, historical, religious, or spiritual connections to parklands. Park-associated Tribes and groups maintain deep connections, family, and historical ties to what are now parklands and these connections existed prior to establishment of San Juan Island National Historical Park.
The park currently consults with Tribally-designated representatives from: Lummi Nation, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Samish Indian Nation, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Tulalip Tribes, Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. For questions about our Tribal consultation program, please contact us.
Commitment to Respecting Tribal Sovereignty and Meaningful Consultation
We respect Tribal sovereignty and are committed to meaningful consultations seeking common agreement, appropriate treatment, and respect for Tribal interests in all undertakings that may affect traditional, cultural, and spiritual resources of park-associated Coast Salish Tribes.
Access and Traditional Use of Ancestral Lands
We are committed to supporting access to cultural sites, ethnographic resources, and traditionally harvested resources for traditional and religious purposes by park-associated Coast Salish Tribes and Tribal members. We are committed to creating formal agreements, partnerships, and programming with mutual benefit to Tribes and the public that foster education, ethnographic study, and Traditional Use of Ancestral Lands by park-associated Coast Salish Tribes and Tribal members.
Cultural Activities and Canoe Landings in the Park
As a unit in the national park system, all are welcome to enjoy and recreate respectfully within San Juan Island National Historical Park. We are committed, through consultation with representatives of park-associated Coast Salish Tribes, that Indigenous communities are provided an opportunity to participate in organized group events involving resources of significance in Ancestral Lands.Depending on the nature of the activity and location, expressed support from a park-associated Tribal Nation may be required.
We are committed to ensuring Tribal Nations are provided an opportunity to have an active role in ownership and distribution of cultural knowledge to the public at large.Tribal sacred ceremonies and gatherings involving religious, private, or family knowledge, or activities protected under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act or other federal laws shall be respected.Canoe Family Skippers and Captains – please contact us directly for information on requests for canoe landings in the park.
Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation
Our Park Liaison Program supports Government-to-Government consultation with Coast Salish Tribes and Indigenous groups traditionally associated with San Juan Island National Historical Park. As a federal agency trustee under the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service adheres to United States Treaty obligations with federally recognized tribes whose ancestral usual and accustomed territories fall within present-day park lands.Our program engages Tribal partners in regulatory compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and other United States federal statutes, Executive Orders, and policies related to historic properties of religious and cultural significance.
How to contact us:
SAJH-Tribes / Park Liaison Program San Juan Island National Historical Park P.O. Box 429 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USAPhone: (360) 378 - 2240 ext. 5E-mail: SAJH_Tribal_Liaison@nps.gov
