A group of Native American women in Jingle Dresses with hands raised

Tribal Relations

Project and Event Highlights

Call For Artists

Tribal Relations Symbol: Dark blue semi-abstracted human figure surrounded by lighter blue crescent shapes

Current Project

WWU and the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) seek an artist to create an original artwork for a Coast Salish longhouse-inspired building on campus. Specifically, the artist will create an artwork out of interior doors between the welcome entry and gathering space.

2024 Spring Powwow

Powwow poster, with bold text and mixed media illustrations of two native Americans

Upcoming Event

Saturday, May 4, 2024
Grand Entry @ 12:00pm and 6:00pm, Carver Gym

Hosted by the WWU Native American Student Union and Office of Tribal Relations.

The Boldt Decision at 50: Looking Back and Planning Forward Speakers Panel

A wood block print of a salmon and the text 50th Anniversary Boldt Decision Panel

Upcoming Event

Please join us on Wednesday, May 15th from 3:30 – 5:00 PM in Fraser Hall 102 for this event.
Light refreshments will be served.

To commemorate the anniversary of the Boldt Decision, Western Washington University is hosting a Speakers Panel featuring several regional Coast Salish leaders to discuss the history of the Boldt Decision and its current application. The speakers will also consider the potential future impacts of this decision in its next impactful 50 years.

Coast Salish Style Longhouse

The House of Healing rendering showing the front of the building clad in brown siding with an archway made of logs at the front door

Ongoing Project

In partnership and close collaboration with Coast Salish tribal nations and the Western Native American Student Union, Western Washington University seeks to build a traditional Coast Salish style longhouse in honor of the historic importance of place that it occupies and in acknowledgement of the University’s responsibility to promote educational opportunities for Native students.

2023 Spring Powwow

Striking Native American graphic artwork of four eagles in alternating red and black forming intricate circular design on a white background.

Past Event

Hosted by the Lhaq'temish and the WWU Native American Student Union, the Coastal Jam and Powwow was held on Western's Campus on May 5-6, 2023. Find more information at this link, and check back for more information on next year's event!

Hidden Silence

Past Event

In this roundtable held on April 6, 2023, speakers Bev Sellars (Xat’sull First Nation), Hollie Mackey (Northern Cheyenne), and Anna Lees (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa) addressed the long-term impacts of residential and boarding schools for Native people in the U.S. and Canada.