On Monday, Oct. 9, King County will recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day to show respect for and celebrate the rich heritage, culture, contributions, and strength of local and regional American Indian, Alaska Native, and Indigenous communities.

King County is home to a thriving Native American population from Tribal nations across the country and our region benefits tremendously from the generations of Native American people on whose land we currently live. There are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington State; we are on the unceded ancestral lands of the Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, Puyallup, Tulalip, and Suquamish Tribes, and those Coast Salish individuals who are not enrolled in a federally recognized tribe.

It was important to me that King County recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an official observed and paid holiday, something that we established in 2021 and celebrated for the first time in 2022. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is now officially recognized each year in King County on the second Monday in October.

We set aside this day to deepen our knowledge about our nation’s history and the institutionalized practices and policies that continue to harm Indigenous people today. We use this day to further our understanding of Indigenous heritage and culture and the many ongoing contributions of Indigenous people in our region.

We must also take time to reflect on our nation’s painful history and the truth that we live on – and unjustly benefit from – the colonized ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We must sharpen our commitment to undoing institutionalized racist policies, practices, and systems – all of which continue to harm Indigenous people today – so Indigenous communities and all people can thrive.

This Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we celebrate Indigenous people as they continue to stand strong and actively fight against racism and other forms of injustice. I want to thank and recognize our employee-led King County Native American Leadership Council for their continued work on behalf of Native American and Alaska Native employees at King County. I am thankful for the solid government-to-government working relationships we have developed with local Tribes, which are crucial in our work for the Indigenous community, Native American and Alaska Native County employees, and all residents.

Working together we can create a future in King County and our region where Native American people are visible, recognized, and thriving.

Sincerely,

Dow Constantine (he/him/his)
King County Executive