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PHOTOS BY SEAN DEAN

CELEBRATION. Tribal Council Chairman Herman Dillon, Sr. was among several elected officials who spoke during a ceremony at Hotel Murano Sept. 22 celebrating the 20th anniversary of the land claims settlement. Children from Grandview Early Learning Center went on stage to play traditional songs for the dignitaries.

Land claims settlement celebrated

By John Larson

Elected officials at the federal, state and local level gathered with representatives of the Puyallup Tribe at Hotel Murano Sept. 22 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the tribe’s historic land claims settlement.

Port of Tacoma Commissioner Dick Marzano discussed how the settlement more than tripled the number of port-related jobs in the past 20 years. It also led to major infrastructure projects such as removal of the bridge over Blair Waterway and construction of State Route 509 as well as environmental cleanup efforts. “We always want to leave this place better than when we found it,” he remarked.

Doug Sutherland, now state commissioner of public lands, was mayor during the negotiations. He discussed the difficulty in bringing together the various factions. “We had a true common interest in resolving all of these issues,” he commented.

Once the second offer was approved by the membership and funding was secured, Sutherland said it paved the way for the Interstate 705 and other improvements to downtown, including the University of Washington-Tacoma campus and the renovation of Union Station.

“Those things happened because we were able to resolve our issues,” he said. “It set the tone for how we could function together.”

“It has been a long trail,” said Puyallup Tribal Council Chairman Herman Dillon, Sr. He commended the efforts of tribal members such as Don Matheson, Silas Cross, Frank Wright, Sr., Ramona Bennett and Maselle Bridges for their research on the tribe’s legal claims and history.

“It has been a success, I think, and will continue to be a success.”

U.S. Representative Norm Dicks noted the controversy over removing the bridge spanning Blair Waterway. He credited the role of Ray Corpuz, a key member of the non-Indian negotiating team who served as city manager from 1990 to 2003, in securing federal funding for the bridge removal and construction of State Route 509.

Dicks introduced U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), who played a key role in the negotiations. “Senator, when we needed your help you were there for us.”

After Inouye became chair of the senate’s Indian Affairs Committee, he asked a woman on his staff what the pressing issues in Indian Country were. She pointed to the brewing controversy in Tacoma.

“I knew the atmosphere was not too friendly,” he recalled.

He recalled meetings at the hotel, which was a Sheraton at the time, when the tribal representatives were on one floor and the non-Indian side on another. He said his real purpose was as a conduit for communication. He went back and forth between the floors 21 times in one session.

Seeing the bustling downtown and thriving port of today makes him realize all the effort was worth it. “You have done very well and I am proud you made me your messenger boy,” Inouye told the audience.

Frank Wright, Jr., now general manager of Emerald Queen Casino, was chair of Puyallup Tribal Council when negotiations began. He recalled the deep sense of bitterness among many tribal members that had built up for decades. Many of them lived in abject poverty, struggling to put food on the table and diapers on their babies.

The settlement paved the way for the much-improved standard of living members enjoy today. From the two casinos to the gas stations and the shipping terminals the tribe plans along Blair Waterway through land obtained in the settlement, the resolution of the dispute has been positive for the tribe, he feels.

“To have a dream and see it is working is very exciting.”

He noted the importance of getting his father, who had done years of research on the issue, to accept the settlement offer. “I knew that to get the support of the membership I first had to get the support of my father.”

Tribal Councilmember Bill Sterud noted how the settlement continues to frame negotiations between the tribe and local governments, such as when the tribe moved its gaming operations from Blair Waterway to Fife and Tacoma’s East Side several years ago.

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