Associated Tribes of Mount Rainier

The land administered as Mount Rainier National Park has been since time immemorial the Ancestral homeland of the Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, Yakama, and Coast Salish people. By following Elders’ instructions passed through generations, these Indigenous Peoples remain dedicated caretakers of this landscape. Their Traditional Knowledge and Management of this Sacred Land will endure in perpetuity, and we honor each nation’s traditions of landscape stewardship in our endeavors to care for, protect, and preserve the features and values of the mountain.

 

The Associated Tribes of Mount Rainier National Park

The land within Mount Rainier National Park has historical, cultural, and spiritual meanings to many Native Americans. Click on the names of the tribes to link to their official websites.

Cowlitz Indian Tribe Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Nisqually Indian Tribe

Puyallup Tribe of Indians Squaxin Island Tribe Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation

 

Plants, Tribal Traditions, and the Mountain book cover

Cover Art, Preserving the Knowledge by Joe Guarisco, Created for the 1997 Washington State Archaeology Week Poster

New Publication (July 2024)
Plants, Tribal Traditions, and the Mountain Practices and Effects of Nisqually Tribal Plant Gathering at Mount Rainier National Park by Greg Burtchard, David Hooper, and Arnie Peterson

This book provides ethnographic and historical background to the Indigenous use of Takhóma (Mount Rainier) and the surrounding landscape, a history of plant gathering practices following the founding of Mount Rainier National Park, plant gathering research and practices with a focus on several specific species, and considerations for balancing the continuation of traditional plant-gathering practices with sustainability.

 

Duration:

3 minutes, 23 seconds

Members of the Nisqually Indian Tribe Canoe Family performed the Nisqually Anthem Song at the Paradise Inn Annex Grand Reopening Ceremony held on May 17, 2019.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 50 seconds

In 2020, Greg LaDue-Grove & Patty Kinswa-Gaiser spoke about their people’s connection to Ohanapecosh. They are members of the Taidnapam people whose traditional lands include Ohanapecosh and the southeast areas of Mount Rainier National Park. Taidnapam people are represented by the modern Cowlitz and Yakama tribes, which continue to have a lasting connection to the mountain. A longer version of this interview is included in the "History of Ohanapecosh" video that plays in the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center.