The Maritime Washington National Heritage Area is excited to introduce its Tribal Guide to Maritime Washington. This multimedia online guide invites boaters, residents, and visitors alike to learn about the Indigenous maritime heritage that has shaped—and continues to shape—Washington’s waterways.

Maritime Washington was honored to pilot the project with the Suquamish Tribe and Squaxin Island Tribe, whose relationships with the Salish Sea over thousands of years continue through present-day canoes, fishing, shellfish harvesting, stewardship, storytelling, and cultural practices. Both the Suquamish and Squaxin Island pages of the Tribal Guide invite visitors to experience Washington’s saltwater shores, including:

• Native stories and histories from Native voices
• Tribally approved travel recommendations
• Tips on how to visit Indigenous lands in a good way
• Vetted resources to learn more about Tribal heritage
• Original videos, virtual tours, and more!

Since time immemorial, Native peoples have woven relationships with—and across—Washington’s saltwater shores. They have crafted fishing weirs, reef nets, and clam forks, among other technologies, to harvest abundant saltwater fisheries. They have practiced song, dance, and storytelling to maintain cultures. They have carved canoes and paddles to support long-standing trade and kinship networks throughout the region.

Today, the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area includes the ancestral lands and waters of twenty-one federally recognized Tribal nations. Discover the rich maritime heritage of Washington’s Tribal nations through the Tribal Guide to Maritime Washington. The most exciting part? This is just the beginning. The Tribal Guide to Maritime Washington is designed to grow over time as new collaborations with Tribal nations continue.

Map locations represent Tribal headquarters.

Spanning 3,000 miles of Washington State’s saltwater shoreline, the new Maritime Washington National Heritage Area recognizes our state’s unique and diverse maritime cultures. Managed by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation in partnership with the National Park Service, this heritage area builds a region-wide network and increases collaboration to support our coastal communities in celebrating, maintaining, and sharing their water-based stories.

www.maritimewa.org/tribal-guide

Header art by Brandy May Bouré.