Nooksack
The Nooksack are a lesser-known Indigenous nation belonging to the Salishan language family, primarily located in Whatcom County, Washington. Historically, they thrived in a river-oriented culture with a strong focus on subsistence activities, including fishing, hunting, and gathering. Their traditional territory included twenty permanent winter villages that relied heavily on local resources, such as sea mammals and eulachon, which were valued for their oil. Significant changes began in the early 19th century with European contact and the establishment of fur trading, leading to challenges in their traditional practices, particularly salmon fishing.
Today, the Nooksack Indian Tribe has approximately 2,000 members, with over 800 residing on their reservation and off-reservation trust land. The tribe operates the Nooksack Northwood Casino along with other business ventures to support community programs and cultural preservation efforts. In a controversial move in 2013, the tribal council disenrolled over 300 members, marking a significant event in the tribe’s history. Despite these challenges, the Nooksack continue to engage in environmental projects, such as salmon habitat restoration, reflecting their commitment to preserving their rich cultural heritage and ensuring the well-being of their community.
On this Page
Nooksack
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northwest Coast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Salishan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Washington
- POPULATION SIZE: 2000 (2024 Nooksacktribe.org); 874 (2020 Decennial Census Nooksack Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land)
The Nooksack are a little-known Indigenous nation of the Salishan language family and Central Coast Salish, who once had close socioeconomic relations with the contiguous Upriver and Downriver Halkomelem. All twenty permanent winter villages were river-oriented for travel and subsistence. Sea mammals, along with eulachon, were prized for oil. Men hunted and trapped land animals, whereas women gathered and collected roots, tubers, berries, fruits, and nuts.
The peoples of the Strait of Juan de Fuca were first contacted in 1787 by Charles Barkley, and in 1808, Simon Fraser of the North West Company charted the river, which now bears his name. By 1811, land-based fur traders had established themselves at the mouth of the Columbia River, bringing considerable change to the Nooksack. By the 1870s and 1880s, some Nooksack acquired homesteads in the Nooksack Valley, but considerable damage was done to salmon fishing—by 1900, there were at least seventy canneries at the mouth of the Columbia.
The Nooksack Indian Tribe is located in Deming in Whatcom County, Washington, about fifteen miles east of Bellingham and twelve miles south of the US border with Canada. The Nooksack Indian Tribe has approximately 2,000 members, of which more 800 people live on the Nooksack Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, according to the 2020 Decennial US Census. In 2013, the Nooksack Tribal Council argued that more than 300 nation members failed to meet membership requirements and voted to disenroll them, marking the largest Indigenous disenrollment in Washington State history. The nation continued to receive revenue to fund programs and support its community. They ran the Nooksack Northwood Casino, amongst additional business ventures. The Nooksack Indian Tribe continued to provide services to its members, participated in programs aimed to preserve their culture and traditions, and were active in environmental projects such as salmon habitat restoration on the South Fork Nooksack River.
Bibliography
"About Us." Nooksack Indian Tribe, nooksacktribe.org/about. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Cornwell, Paige. "'Nooksack 306' Fight to Remain in Tribe." Seattle Times, 26 Aug. 2013, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/lsquonooksack-306rsquo-fight-to-remain-in-tribe/. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.
Richardson, Allan, and Brent Galloway. Nooksack Place Names: Geography, Culture, and Language. UBC P, 2011.
"Total Population in Nooksack Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land." US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/all?q=Nooksack%20Reservation%20and%20Off-Reservation%20Trust%20Land,%20WA. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Tribal News." Nooksack Indian Tribe, 21 Oct. 2024, nooksacktribe.org/blog. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Washington Tribes Restore Salmon Habitat on South Fork Nooksack River." NOAA Fisheries, 26 Aug. 2024, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/washington-tribes-restore-salmon-habitat-south-fork-nooksack-river. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.