Welcome from ATNI President

Dear Tribal Leaders and other ATNI members, supporters and volunteers:

On behalf of our tribal council and our tribal members, welcome to Suquamish.   We are excited to have ATNI return to Suquamish with its 2025 Annual Convention.  Our culture department and resort staff have worked hard on preparing for your stay and we hope to see you at our evening events.  We previously hosted the 2016 Winter Conference and the 2019 Annual Conference.  We are proud of our hotel and conference facility, the Suquamish Clearwater Casino and Resort, located here on the Port Madison Reservation established by the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott.  The Suquamish Tribe is best known for our past leaders including Chief Seattle and Chief Kitsap who led our tribe through the difficult challenges we have been facing since first contact by European explorers in 1792 and our expansive winter village known as Old-Man-House.

We continue to face similar threats to our tribal sovereignty and our way of life as our ancestral leaders did.  Through unity and coordinated action we are holding our own but must continue to rely on our traditions to help us overcome these obstacles.  ATNI has provided the Northwest Tribes with the opportunity to develop the strategies necessary to reach our goals and retain our culture, preserve our natural resources and maintain our spiritual traditions.

Thanks to the ATNI Executive Board and staff for developing a great agenda for this convention.  Over the next few days, you will hear from leadership from all levels of the Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs.  We will also hear updates from the Washington State Department of Ecology, Washington State Attorney General, and University Presidents from both Washington and Idaho. The Suquamish Natural Resources Department will deliver a presentation on the Culvert Replacement Project.  We will also host the Tribal Leaders Roundtable, Tribal Liaison convening and ATNI Executive Board Elections.  Positions that are up are the 1st VP, 3rd VP, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Thank you for joining us!

Respectfully,

LF