Living in a new place offers opportunities to learn about the history of that place. There is a lot about the story of western Washington that we did not know. Sometimes we have learned about this place by visiting parks and museums. Sometimes we have learned about this place by talking with those who have lived here longer than we. Sometimes we have learned about this place because our grandchildren attend public schools. Sometimes we just need to do a bit of research.

We knew about the holiday honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We have lived through some of the history related to that holiday. Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA. The holiday honoring him and remembering his contributions to American history is marked on the third Monday in January. Although it has been a federal holiday since 1983, the year our son was born, it was only approved as a state holiday in all 50 states in 2000. Nonetheless, our grandchildren had a day off from school in recognition of the holiday a week ago on Monday, January 16.

They are off from school again tomorrow, Monday, January 23. Being a curious sort of person, I wondered what the reason for this break in their schooling was about. I know it isn’t the end of the semester, so there must be some other reason. According to the school district, the schools are taking a day off in observance of Treaty Day. I didn’t know the story of this holiday, so I did a bit of historical research.

On January 22, 1855, the United States of America entered into a solemn agreement with the Lummi Nation. Representatives of these two nations came together in Mukilteo and made promises to one another about how their respective peoples would share the land and resources of this region. This land where we now live had been the traditional homeland of the Lummi people for more than 150 generations. On that day back in 1855, both the Lummi people and the settlers who had come to Washington came together and signed the Point Elliott Treaty and promised to live together in peace forever - for all future generations. We are able to live in this beautiful place because of the treaty signed by the Lummi people and the government of the United States. It was one of 29 treaties with sovereign indigenous nations within what was then Washington territory. Those treaties made it possible for Washington to become a state and for people like us to move to this place.

I grew up on land that was originally guaranteed to the Crow people whose name in their language is Apsáalooke, sometimes spelled Absaroka. The amendment to the treaty that changed the boundaries of Crow land and allowed settlement of the place where I grew up was not formally agreed upon by both sides. Tribal members were forced to move into a smaller and more concentrated reservation after the boundaries were changed. A similar change in boundaries and territories that had been agreed upon in the Treaty of Fort Laramie signed in 1868. That means that the place where we lived when we lived in North Dakota and the home we had in South Dakota for 25 years were both on land that was taken without agreement by both parties. The United States Supreme Court has upheld the Lakota claims for their historic lands guaranteed by the treaty, but the resolution of this injustice has continued to be a point of ongoing controversy and negotiation. The court ordered financial restitution. The tribe has steadfastly refused money and insisted on the return of the land. That means that for the majority of my life, I have lived on land that was seized without the full consent of all parties.

Here in Washington, it is different. The Point Elliott treaty allowed for the settlement of the land where we now live. It also guaranteed hunting and fishing rights to the indigenous tribes. The treaty is legally binding today and has been upheld in federal court. We live on land where the Lummi and other Coast Salish people allowed settlement. In exchange we agree to honor the rights of those people. A day to honor and remember the treaty that established peace between the settlers and the indigenous people seems appropriate.

Today, as every day when we drive to church, we will pass through the Lummi Reservation. We are able to do so in peace. We often stop on the reservation. There is a seafood market run by the tribe where we often purchase food. The tribal gas station usually has the best prices for fuel in the area. Business and trade was one of the reasons the two nations agreed on the treaty in the first place. The fact that we are able to live where we do and to travel freely and do business on Lummi lands is one of the ongoing benefits of the treaty. In a sense we are all people of the treaty.

I am grateful that a school holiday gave me the opportunity to learn a bit about Treaty Day. It is a part of the history of our country and of this particular region that has not been well taught and learned by generations of people. Treaty Day only became a recognized holiday in our local school district two years ago. In observing the day, the school district has forged new partnerships with Lummi tribal leaders to develop lessons that are used to teach students about the meaning of Treaty Day. The students in the district aren’t the only ones who are learning. At least some of their grandparents are also discovering part of our shared history of which we previously were not aware.

We have plans to spend some time with our three oldest grandchildren on Monday. I am going to make sure that I ask them about the holiday we are enjoying. We’ll also make sure to make a stop on Lummi reservation lands as part of our activities for the day if for no other reason that their grandfather needs to keep learning about the story of the place where he now lives.