The reservation is governed by a board of seven directors chosen by Tribal members for three-year terms of service- a modern version of the separate Tribal Councils that governed our Tribes and allied bands for thousands of years here in Puget Sound. Today 92% of our government services, tribal member entitlements, family and senior housing, education, health, and dental services, law enforcement, fire protection, infrastructure improvements, and economic growth are funded from within. Government in exchange for Tribal land, did pledge by treaty funding for education and other social services - that support has been nominal. These rights are critical, as while the U.S.
Our status as a sovereign entity maintains our right to self-govern as a “nation within a nation” and includes the inherent right as a government to raise revenue for our community. The Federal Government recognizes the Tulalip Tribes as a sovereign Indian Tribe operating under a Tribal Constitution approved by the Secretary of Interior. When Tulalip organized in 1934 under the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA), we agreed to adopt the name “Tulalip Tribes” from the Salish word describing the prominent bay on the Reservation.
