County celebrates Native American Heritage Month and reaffirms tribal engagement efforts

Native American Heritage Month and Day celebrate the cultures, history, traditions, art, and contributions Native peoples bring to our communities

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

Building on recognition from previous years, the San Juan County Council celebrated National Native American Heritage Month and Day with a proclamation. This is the third consecutive year the County has issued a proclamation for Native American Heritage Month.  

San Juan County’s 2026 proclamation recognizes that Native Americans have inhabited the area now known as San Juan County since time immemorial. The proclamation references actions taken locally to support tribal engagement efforts: 

• The County Council extended an invitation to Tribes in December 2024 to consult on the County’s Tribal Engagement Framework, recognizing that the San Juan Islands are part of the ancestral ceded territory to which many tribes have inherent, aboriginal, and treaty rights to lands and waters within the County. That framework was adopted via resolution 37-2024. The framework continues to be revised. You can access the County’s Tribal Engagement Framework here. 
• The County has demonstrated a commitment to tribal engagement by including language throughout its Comprehensive Plan that sets goals for meaningful collaboration and coordination with federally recognized tribes throughout planning processes, respecting tribal sovereignty and integrating tribal input on issues impacting their lands, resources, treaty rights, and cultural heritage. The importance of tribal engagement is noted throughout the Plan, including in the Governance, Land Use, Climate, and Administration sections.
• The County continues to staff an Internal Tribal Advisory Group led by a Cultural Resources Coordinator, share opportunities for tribal relations trainings, provide resources, and guide staff in navigating government-to-government relations. 

During November and beyond, all residents, businesses, organizations, and visitors are encouraged to recognize Native American Heritage Month and Day (Friday, November 27) and promote reconciliation by honoring the lifeways of Native peoples who live, fish, hunt, and harvest in the San Juans, and by supporting the continued stewardship of their ancestral territories into the future.