Suquamish Tribe-Focused Curriculum Ready for Washington Schools After Decades of Development
A new social studies curriculum centered on the Suquamish Tribe's history and culture is now available for middle and high school students in Washington state. This curriculum, developed over more than a decade by Suquamish Tribe members and educators like Elese Washine, aims to fulfill a state mandate requiring tribal history and culture to be taught in public schools. The units cover various aspects of Suquamish life, including traditional village locations, the impact of Euroamerican land acquisition, the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, and the tribe's contemporary governance and environmental efforts. Suquamish Chairman Leonard Forsman contributed to the curriculum, emphasizing a Suquamish perspective on historical events. Seattle Public Schools plans to implement these lessons starting in January. While a generalized 'Since Time Immemorial' curriculum became mandatory in 2015, the Suquamish curriculum represents a more localized and tribally developed resource. Despite a 2005 law urging collaboration, a... 
