Puyallup Tribal Lushootseed Land Acknowledgement

Our people - the Puyallup people - have lived on our ancestral lands since the beginning of time. We are still here. We live, work, raise our children, take care of our community, practice our traditional ways and speak the Twulshootseed language - just as our ancestors did.

This video was created in response to the numerous requests we receive for land acknowledgements. We encourage you to share this video and use this in your classrooms and work spaces.

This video was filmed on the ancestral lands of the Puyallup People in Tacoma, WA. Puyallup Tribal members include: Charlotte Basch, Chris Briden, Chris Duenas & Amber Hayward. Twulshootseed translation by: Zalmai Zahir

ʔa ti dxʷʔa ti swatxʷixʷtxʷəd ʔə tiiɫ puyaləpabš ʔəsɫaɫaɫlil tul’al tudiʔ tuhaʔkʷ.
It is the land right here that the Puyallup people have lived on since the beginning.

diɫəxʷ ti dxʷʔa čəɫ ʔal ti swatxʷixʷtxʷəd.
This right here is where we are in this world. Our homelands.

ƛ’uyayus čəɫ ʔal ti swatxʷixʷtxʷəd ʔə tiiɫ tuʔiišədčəɫ. ƛ’uƛ’ax̌ʷad čəɫ tiiɫ bədədəʔčəɫ ƛ’uʔux̌ʷ txʷəl ti x̌alalʔtxʷ ʔal ti swatxʷixʷtxʷəd ʔə ti spuyaləpabš.
We work on our ancestral lands, we raise our children who go to school on the land of the Puyallup people.

ʔuhigʷəd čəɫ tiiɫ šxʷnanəm tliti ʔux̌alšitəb ti paspastəd ʔukʷədidup.
We acknowledge that the Medicine Creek Treaty was “signed” for the benefit of the Caucasian settlers.

ʔux̌alšitəb čəɫ ʔə tiiɫ šxʷnanəm tliti ʔə ti swatxʷixʷtxʷədčəɫ. ʔucutəxʷ tiiɫ paspastəd, “sgʷaʔləp swatxʷixʷtxʷədləp,” tux̌ʷ ƛ’al bəkʷədšitəb ʔə tiiɫ paspastəd ʔə tiiɫ swatxʷixʷtxʷədčəɫ.
Land was assigned to our people. Caucasians said, “This is your land,” but the Caucasians took that land from us too.

ʔuqadaditəb čəɫ ʔə ti swatxʷixʷtxʷədčəɫ. ʔudᶻaƛ’atəb tiiɫ tliti.
Our land was stolen from us. Treaties were broken.

tux̌ʷ didiʔɫ čəɫ ʔa ʔal ti sləx̌il.
But we are still here today.

ƛ’uxʷiʔxʷiʔ čəɫə ƛ’ukʷilid čəɫə ƛ’uʔiɫšxʷ čəɫə ƛ’uʔalalus čəɫə ƛ’utxʷəlšucidəb.
Our people forage for food and materials, we pick berries, we canoe, we practice our traditional ways and we speak Twulshootseed.

x̌ʷəla···b ʔə tiiɫ tuyəl’yəlabčəɫ.
Just as our ancestors did.

huyəxʷ čəɫ.
We are finished.

To learn more check out http://www.puyalluptriballanguage.org

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© Puyallup Tribe of Indians 2020