Solid Ground operates on land that has always belonged to the Coast Salish and Duwamish (Dkhw Duw’Absh) peoples. As a modern nonprofit, we are part of a colonialist system that stole their land, attempted genocide, and continues to oppress Indigenous peoples.
We know we cannot achieve our mission to end poverty without changing our relationship to the Indigenous peoples of this land. We pledge to build deeper relationships with the Duwamish, Coast Salish, and other Indigenous stewards of this land and to work to repair colonial impacts. We encourage our partners, donors, and other stakeholders to join us in this work.
Two things you can do to join Solid Ground:
- Sign the petition for Federal Recognition for the Duwamish Tribe: The Duwamish are the “People of the Inside.” They are rooted to this place and these waters. They demand accountability for their People today and for all generations to come.
- Contribute to Real Rent Duwamish to stand in solidarity with First Peoples of this land. All funds go directly to Duwamish Tribal Services (DTS) to support the revival of Duwamish culture and the vitality of the Duwamish Tribe.
Resources for Deeper Engagement
Local and national Indigenous-led organizations
- American Indian Health Commission of Washington state
- Chief Seattle Club
- Community Support and Justice: Indigenous/First Nations People (Seattle Central College)
- Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center
- Duwamish Tribe
- Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs
- HistoryLink.org (Washington state history)
- Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
- Na’ah Illahee Fund
- National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
- Native Community Crisis Response Fund
- Northwest Indian Housing Association
- Real Rent Duwamish
- Seattle Indian Center
- Seattle Indian Health Board
- United Indians of All Tribes
- Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Task Force
- Washington State Native American Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Interactive maps
NATIVE LAND MAP
Map of Coast Salish territories by Mapbox
Native-Land.ca was started in early 2015 in British Columbia to help people get interested and engaged in acknowledging and honoring Indigenous Nations of colonial states. It encourages both Native and non-Native people to remember that there was once a vast land of autonomous Native peoples, who called the land by many different names according to their languages and geography.
PACIFIC SEA GARDENS STORY MAP
Pacific Sea Garden Collective. (2022). Sea Gardens Across the Pacific: Reawakening Ancestral Mariculture Innovations. Version 1. Washington Sea Grant at the University of Washington.
This work is dedicated to the Ancestors who stewarded the ocean, learned from her rhythms, and passed on their knowledge to today’s stewards who are continuing these practices and reasserting their authority to steward their lands and waters.
Learning About the Lands Where We Work
Solid Ground is on a journey to better understand our role as a nonprofit in colonialist systems that continue to oppress Indigenous peoples today. We also seek to build authentic partnerships with Indigenous communities in order to reduce the harm that we cause as an organization, help undo the erasure of Indigenous histories, and celebrate the resilience of the first peoples of Seattle and King County. To work toward these aspirations, Solid Ground’s Community Accountability Council recommended that we start by amplifying the Indigenous history of the lands we occupy as an organization, from our Giving Garden at Marra Farm and Solid Ground Transportation offices in South Park to our Wallingford offices and housing facilities at Sand Point. We’ll post them here as we share these stories of the lands where we work and play.
- Líq’tәd (Licton) Springs: A sacred spring and the ever-flowing resilience of Indigenous peoples
Land Acknowledgement Videos
Two young adults in our Solid Ground community graciously gave land acknowledgements at Solid Ground’s November 2020 Virtual All Staff Meeting.