A proclamation in celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma recognizes that Indigenous peoples across the world have been the caring, unyielding guardians of the Earth since time immemorial, and that their resilience and knowledge represent a fundamental way forward to protect thriving ecosystems and all our futures; and   

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma is committed to reforming as an anti-racist agency which celebrates, collaborates and integrates the cultures of our community in our work; and 

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma has committed to share a formal land acknowledgement recognizing that the lands on which we steward recreational, zoological, and cultural experiences are the ancestral homelands of the Puyallup and Nisqually Tribes, who continue to live and raise their families here — as well as lands with deep significance to other Coast Salish Tribes; and 

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma is grateful to the Coast Salish peoples including the Puyallup, Nisqually, Muckleshoot, Steilacoom, and Squaxin Island tribes for their guidance and contributions to land stewardship, ecological preservation, culturally appropriate storytelling, and education throughout its parks and programs; and 

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma values the partnership of the Puyallup Tribe for its many contributions including providing cultural knowledge and expertise for the renovation of Owen Beach, educating local youth and preserving native northwest species through the Chinook Orca Research and Education Project, and guiding culturally and historically accurate storytelling in Parks Tacoma spaces through signage and public art; and 

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma’ Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is actively working with the Nisqually Tribe to create a strong and lasting partnership with guiding values of empathy, respect, and trust; and 

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma spaces and programs are enjoyed by residents from a diversity of cultural and ancestral heritages, as well as visitors from around the world; and 

WHEREAS, in the summer of 2023, our community witnessed a historic moment of Indigenous cultural exchange and celebration when the traditional Polynesian voyaging vessel Hokule’a was given a canoe escort by members of the Puyallup Tribe through their ancestral waters and greeted with ceremonies and performances by various Pacific Islander groups in our region with Thea’s Park as the backdrop for this momentous event; and  

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma is committed to our longstanding partnership with Asia Pacific Cultural Center through which APCC provides services, cultural experiences, and community for many people in our region with Indigenous heritage; and to their effort to enhance and expand opportunities serving our community within the new cultural center building which APCC will begin constructing in 2024; and 

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma is grateful for the Calavera Collective’s collaboration in organizing and presenting an annual Día de los Muertos event at Eastside Community Center that highlights Indigenous Mexican, Central, and South American cultures; including, traditional Aztec dances presented by the Calpulli Ocelotl Cuauhtli group and the event blessing by the Ireta P’urhépecha collective, who share in the stewardship of the land and waters of Swan Creek Park; and 

WHEREAS, Parks Tacoma is committed to continuing to nourish relationships with the diverse groups of Indigenous people in our community and to learn from their leadership, expertise, and experiences.  

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Park Commissioners do hereby recognize October 9, 2023, as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, honoring the presence and contributions of all Indigenous cultures in our region and committing to continued partnership with them in caring for our lands and restoring equity in our communities. 

The foregoing proclamation was adopted by the Board of Park Commissioners of the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma at a regularly scheduled meeting held on October 9, 2023.

Mural at Owen Beach by Anthony Duenas titled syayayəʔ ʔə tiiɫ x̌ʷiqʷadiʔ representing the thunderbird and Puyallup people creation story.