County recognizes Native American Heritage Month w/ proclamation & affirms 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 |||

During the November 10 Council meeting, a proclamation was issued recognizing November 2025 as National Native American Heritage Month in San Juan County, and November 28 as National Native American Heritage Day.

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

• San Juan 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 that many tribes have inherent, aboriginal, and treaty rights to lands and waters within the County.
• San Juan County Council passed resolution 37-2024 confirming San Juan County’s commitment to tribal engagement and adopting the “Framework for Developing an Engagement Process with Tribes.”
• At the 2025 Centennial Accord, the WA State Governor signed Executive Order 25-10, setting out new requirements and steps for state agencies to improve Washington’s government-to-government relations with federally recognized tribes in Washington.

In the proclamation, the County Council recognizes the State’s Executive Order and reaffirms the County’s commitment to tribal engagement efforts and supporting Tribal Treaty Rights. The County’s framework includes components such as convening an internal working group, proposing a protocol for government-to-government relations to explore with the tribes, and presenting recommendations to the Council. You can access the County’s Tribal Engagement Framework here.

During November and beyond, all residents, businesses, organizations, and visitors are encouraged to recognize Native American Heritage Month and Day 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.