By Nate Bisson
64 tribes from across the country competed in this year’s 5th annual Battle of the Nations basketball tournament located in Spokane, Washington. On April 4th, teams met at Spokane Casino for mandatory check-ins, followed by a grand entry ceremony and live drawing for game times.
The grand entry started with an honoring of flags by Indigenous Veterans, followed by songs and dances as all tribes were introduced and welcomed onto the floor.
This basketball tournament is very unique in that Tribal members can only play with the tribe they are enrolled in. Tribal IDs are verified at check ins on the first day. The tournament director and creator is Spokane tribal member Jerry Ford Redbone.
On April 5th, Muckleshoot faced off against Skokomish in the first round and won by more than 20 points. Next, we battled against Blackfeet Nation and won by 20 as well.
On April 6th, we fought hard against Lapwai Nation, but came up short losing by 10. Lapwai ended up finishing 4th place in the tournament. Our final game was also on April 6th, we played a very tough Coeur d’Alene Tribal team and lost.
Out of 64 Tribal Nations, Muckleshoot finished in the top 16 teams in the country. We’re hoping to return next year and improve our ranking.
WINNERS:
MUCKLESHOOT TEAM ROSTER:
Members of the Muckleshoot Fish Commission met with Seattle Public Utilities General Manager Andrew Lee and his leadership team to tour the Cedar River Hatchery and discuss collaboration opportunities.
On Saturday, September 6th, Waterfront Park celebrated its historic grand opening. What was once the noisy Alaskan Way Viaduct is now a 20-acre civic waterfront — built for joy, connection, and community.
Tribal Councilwoman Virginia Cross was honored with the second ever D.R. Hanford Leadership Award at Green River College in August — this award honors visionary leaders whose impact ripples through their communities.
Tobi Iverson Halliday, a Tsimshian and Turtle Mountain Chippewa writer based in the Pacific Northwest, is gaining national and international recognition for her debut feature screenplay, Wild Woman of the Woods.
The Muckleshoot Messenger is a Tribal publication created by the Muckleshoot Office of Media Services. Tribal community members and Tribal employees are welcome to submit items to the newspaper such as news, calendar items, photos, poems, and artwork.
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