North Sound is home to eight Tribal nations who have inhabited this land since time immemorial: Lummi Nation, Nooksack Tribe, Samish Indian Nation, Upper Skagit Tribe, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and Tulalip Tribes. Collectively, these and many other tribes from the West Coast from Canada to California share in Coast Salish culture. North Sound ACH honors each tribe’s sovereign nation status and recognizes that its relationships with each tribe is uniquely different and important.
Tribal nation partners serve their nations with innovative strategies to care for vulnerable populations, which all partners in the region can learn from, such as cultural approaches to substance use and behavioral health, integrated with physical health services, and supportive housing that wraps recovery, addiction, employment, and family support services for individuals and families to minimize navigating complex systems. Tribal leaders bring perspectives that reflect whole person care, as they hold responsibility for education, housing, public safety, justice, public health and health care, among other responsibilities.
Subscribe to this blog so you can come along this Tribal Learning Journey with me, Michaela Vendiola, Tribal and Community Liaison at North Sound ACH. I will be sharing interesting facts, traditional stories, unvarnished history, and current issues of the sovereign tribal nations in Coast Salish territory and across Indian Country. You will increase your understanding of sovereign tribal nations and their approach to health and wellness, and enrich your relationship to community with a better understanding and connection to the original stewards of the land which you live on.