Seattle Kraken recognize history, the present-day contributions of the Coast Salish tribes
As part of a commitment to amplify Native voices, the Seattle Kraken has consulted with Washington state Tribal communities to create their land and peoples acknowledgment. The statement — posted to the team’s website and social media — will be read at games, recognizing that Climate Pledge Arena and other team facilities sit on Native land stewarded by the Coast Salish people since time immemorial.
As land acknowledgments become more popular, Tribal leaders say they are hopeful the NHL team’s large platform and dedication to engaging with Tribes will shine a spotlight on Tribal history and issues while uplifting Native youth and setting an example for professional sports teams and organizations across the nation.
“They’ve been willing to take on some challenging engagements with the Tribes — invested in it as well, both time and money. They’ve done a good job of demonstrating their sincerity. Continuing that after opening day is the challenge, but I have a good feeling about it,” said Leonard Forsman, president of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and chairman of the Suquamish Tribe.
The team has been working with Tribes to develop meaningful engagement even before the Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena had their names. In 2019, the team hosted a luncheon for Tribal leaders to discuss what that would look like, suggesting a land acknowledgment. Through these discussions, Forsman recommended the team go a step further than other acknowledgments and include “peoples.”
“It seemed to me that in some areas of the country that do this, they might be acknowledging the land was occupied in past tense... We still have a strong relationship with our ancient landscape here. So I thought it was important to include the people who are here, who still live here and descend from the people who occupy this land. So just a land acknowledgment didn’t do it justice,” Forsman said.
The suggestion was well received and the team and Tribes got to work on developing the idea.
“The significance of the site where our arena sits traces back generations before the 1962 World’s Fair. The land we occupy now was once a treasured site of our first nations. We will recognize both the rich history and the present-day contributions of the Coast Salish Tribes and people with this acknowledgment at every game,” said Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke in a statement emailed to McClatchy.
The team is developing how the acknowledgment will be used, but it is likely to be read before each game and has already been posted to the team’s website and social media accounts. Tribal leaders have suggested the team also include ways fans can engage with Tribes, possibly by including Tribes’ websites online where the acknowledgment will live.
The Seattle Kraken’s land and peoples acknowledgment announced on the team’s website Wednesday, Aug. 18, reads:
“The Seattle Kraken acknowledges that we are on the homelands of the Coast Salish peoples, who continue to steward these lands and waters as they have since time immemorial. We recognize Washington’s Tribal nations and Native organizations, who actively create, shape and contribute to our thriving communities. The Seattle Kraken are committed to doing our part to engage with, and amplify the voices of, Native peoples and tribes.”
Only a few NHL teams do land acknowledgments, including the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks. This is the first NHL team to acknowledge Tribal peoples.
“Realistically, every hockey team in the U.S. and Canada is playing on Tribal land, so lifting up Tribal voice and stories is something I hope comes out of it — making it visible for the rest of the country and showing the country this team and organization values their relationship with Tribal people,” said Ryan Miller, director of Treaty Rights and Government Affairs for the Tulalip Tribes.
Mari Horita, vice president of community engagement and social impact, said working with Native Tribes and people was one of the team’s first priorities in building an inclusive community for a sport that has traditionally been unobtainable for many communities.
“Our hope is over time we’ll include more groups because we want to be representative. But we know because the history of the land and Coast Salish people, Indigenous peoples had to come first,” Horita said. “Hockey has been a historically very white sport and not representative. And, some would argue, not always available or welcoming... So we have the opportunity in Seattle to not just try to make a community that’s more inclusive, but build it from the ground up. And the Indigenous community is such an important one here.”
The team and Tribes are focused on making the acknowledgment more than just a statement. The Kraken has committed to working with local Native youth to provide equipment and access to the sport. An Indigenous Peoples Night is scheduled for Dec. 6 with a special jersey to be designed by a Native artist.
The team has also commissioned art by local Indigenous artists to be displayed at Climate Pledge Arena and the team’s training facility in Northgate. They will continue to include Tribal leaders in future evolutions of the acknowledgment, if necessary.
For now, the acknowledgment recognizes the Coast Salish people rather than each individual Tribe involved or that lays claim to Seattle in an effort to be inclusive. It is also inclusive of those who may belong to multiple Coast Salish Tribes while keeping the statement short enough to be usable online and at games.
“It was my opinion and recommendation to them that they try to keep it generic because of the difficulty of the situation. We should just be general about it and leave it up to the Tribes to deal with the sticky inter-Tribal issues,” Miller said. “For Tribes, we know the history of that land. I think it’s a good way to represent it without getting involved in what is a legal and political issue.”
The Kraken is expected to present the land and peoples acknowledgment at its first host home game at Climate Pledge Arena against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 23.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
