145 years ago today, the City of Tacoma was officially incorporated. This came only 23 years after the first Euro-American settlement on Commencement Bay in 1852. 77 years before that, the first Europeans set foot on what is now Washington state, out on the coast at Point Grenville.
All of this is well documented in history books and online resources. The problem is that the vast majority of this history was documented by Euro-American settlers for Euro-American settlers. The perspectives and experiences of the indigenous peoples who lived through this time were either minimized, suppressed, or ignored altogether.
We talk a lot about Tacoma’s history but today we want to share a project that the Puyallup Tribe recently released. It tells the story from their perspective in their voice. Please take some time to watch it, consider the questions that come up, and share with your friends.
You will find our history of factual events is much different than the history shared with the general public.
We are sharing our story to add to your understanding of our people, coming from our own voices.
Learn more about the Twulshootseed language program in our 9th Hard Copy Magazine and be sure to follow on social media:
- Facebook: @PTOIHistoricPreservation and @twulshootseedlanguage
- Instagram: @twulshootseed
- Twitter: @twulshootseed
- puyalluptriballanguage.org
