The Washington State Transportation Commission has kicked off its process for naming the next ferry. We believe this ferry should be named to honor the people who have inhabited the Puget Sound for thousands of years - Muckleshoot. 

Ancestors of the Muckleshoot people have inhabited broad areas of the Puget Sound area of Washington for thousands of years prior to non-Indian settlement. Ancestral village groups linked together through inter-marriage, joint ceremonies, commerce, and use of shared territories. These linkages allowed Muckleshoot ancestors to reserve access to fishing, hunting, and gathering sites throughout a broad area, extending from the west side of Puget Sound across the Cascade Crest.

From thousands of years ago and up to today, Muckleshoot people have relied on the resources of the Puget Sound to feed their families. For example, Elliott Bay – home to one of Seattle’s major ferry terminals – was a major fishing area where ancestors of the Muckleshoot people could go to find salmon to feed their families. Today, Elliott Bay is one of Muckleshoot’s usual and accustomed fishing areas and fisherman still use the resources of the water to feed their families and community.