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PREAMBLE

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We, the Samish people, descendants and successors of an aboriginal and sovereign people known as the Samish Indian Nation, signatory and successor in interest to the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, hereby adopt this constitution as a means of preserving our unique Tribal heritage and identity.

Both as a people and as a Tribal Government, we stand in the footprint of our ancestors to carry on their teachings by preserving and protecting our culture, promoting the economic and social welfare of our children, our elders, and our families, restoring our Tribal Nation, conserving and developing our Tribal rights, properties, and resources, and by promoting the peace and justice for all Tribal members.

Our ancestors have taught us that our traditional areas of influence and interest extend “from the rolling hills to the rolling seas,” which is generally referred to as an area extending westerly from the headwaters of the Samish, Skagit and Nooksack rivers through the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island and further west along the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Pacific ocean, and north to our marital relationships along the Fraser River and southerly to the waters and shores of Puget Sound.