HomeMy WebLinkAbout101121cbs01 Commissioner Briefing Session (CBS)
Commissioners Office
JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Kate Dean, Commissioner,District 1
DATE: October 11,2021
SUBJECT: Indigenous People's Day Proclamation
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
Jefferson County will consider again joining a growing number of counties, cities and states that
have recognized the second Monday of October as Indigenous People's Day, creating an
opportunity to promote appreciation, tolerance, understanding, friendship and partnerships-
particularly with the Tribal nations who lived, subsisted, congregated and traveled on the
Olympic Peninsula lands and waters since time immemorial.
ANALYSIS:
Many tribes inhabited the land now called Jefferson County, WA for centuries before European
settlement occurred. These tribes (as they are recognized today) include the S'Klallams,
Quileute, Hoh, Quinault, and Skokomish. The County is committed to building and maintaining
strong working relationships with our tribal neighbors through formal and informal Government-
to-Government relations. Recognizing Indigenous People's Day is a good faith effort to
acknowledge that this County sits on tribal lands,to address the historic injustices that
colonization brought, and to build trust and understanding for present and future work together.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve and adopt the attached Proclamation declaring Monday, October 11t", 2021 as Indigenous
People's Day.
REVIEW BY:
ll? /Z%
Mark McCau ey terim County Admini or Da e
PROCLAMATION
A proclamation officially recognizing Monday, October 11, 2021 as Indigenous People’s Day in order to promote
respect and representation, to honor and celebrate the rich culture and treaty rights of Indigenous People, to combat
prejudice and discrimination, and to promote healing from the violence of American colonization of Indigenous Peoples
and their land.
WHEREAS, Jefferson County, WA recognizes its boundaries occupy the ancestral lands of the S’Klallams, Quileute,
Hoh, Quinault, and Skokomish tribal nations, and that other tribal peoples traveled through and camped in these lands
since time immemorial; and
WHEREAS, the county seat, Port Townsend, is located on ancestral lands of the S’Klallams, who call the area Qatay;
WHEREAS, Jefferson County honors the treaty rights of tribes as sovereign nations and participates in good faith
consultation and Government-to-Government relations; and
WHEREAS, the county values the many contributions Indigenous People have made to our community with their
knowledge, philosophy, arts, and the deep cultural influences which have shaped our county; and
WHEREAS, Jefferson County recognizes that systemic racism toward Indigenous People perpetuates high rates of
poverty, income inequality, health, education, and social crises, and endeavors to remove these barriers; and
WHEREAS, the Covid-19 pandemic has shed light on the persistent, structural racism in this country, resulting in
disparities in health outcomes suffered by black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC); and
WHEREAS, the idea of Indigenous People’s Day was first proposed in 1977 to the United Nations-sponsored
International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, representing fifty-nine tribal Nations, passed Resolution
#11-57 to “Support to Change Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day; and
WHEREAS, Jefferson County joins a growing number of counties that have recognized the second Monday of October as
Indigenous People’s Day, creating an opportunity to promote learning, healing, appreciation, understanding, friendship
and partnerships among all peoples;
NOW THEREFORE, the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners does hereby proclaim the second Monday
in October as
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY
in Jefferson County, and encourage all to celebrate the thriving cultures and values of the Indigenous Peoples of our
region, to learn more about the history of Indigenous Peoples and their cultures, and to continue efforts to promote the
well-being of our Indigenous communities.
th
APPROVED this 11 day of October, 2021.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
SEAL: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Kate Dean, Chair
Heidi Eisenhour, Member
ATTEST: Greg Brotherton, Member
Carolyn Gallaway, Clerk of the Board