Nooksack (tribe)
Clockwise from top: Koma Kulshan, bald eagle, Chinook salmon, Georgia Strait; supporters: sword ferns
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| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (1,800) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Whatcom County | |
| Languages | |
| English, Nooksack | |
| Religion | |
| American Indian panentheism, Christianity, other | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Coast Salish peoples |
The Nooksack (/ˈnʊksæk/; Nooksack: Noxwsʼáʔaq) are a federally recognized Native American people in northwestern Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives in the mainland northwest corner of the state along the Nooksack River and near the small town of Deming (in western Whatcom County). They have more than 1,800 enrolled members.
In 1971, the tribe was ceded a one-acre (4,000 m²) reservation after they received federal recognition status from the United States government. They subsequently have increased reservation land to 2,500 acres (10 km²) by purchasing land and putting it in trust with the federal government; this includes 65 acres (260,000 m2) of tribally owned trust land. Like most Northwest Coast indigenous peoples, prior to European settlement, the Nooksack relied on fishing as well as gathering for sustenance. Federal court decisions in the 1970s have affirmed their and other Native American traditional rights in Washington state to fish and gather food in this way.
As of the 2000 census, the Nooksack Indian Reservation, at 48°53′03″N 122°20′54″W / 48.88417°N 122.34833°W in Whatcom County, had a resident population of 547 persons living on 2,720 acres (11 km2)) of land. Of these residents, 373 persons, or 68.2 percent, identified as being solely of Native American ancestry. The remainder of the tribe mostly lives in the area but some live in more distant larger cities.
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Wikipedia