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:
The Seattle Mariners have announced a long-term, multi-faceted partnership with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and its Tribal enterprise, the Muckleshoot Casino Resort.
120 canoes and well over 10,000 people came to our territory for Paddle to Muckleshoot 2023. Enjoy a selection of the many thousands of pictures shared by professional photographers as well as Tribal member attendees.
Chairman Jaison Elkins thanks all involved in making the Paddle to Muckleshoot such a success; John Daniels, Jr. offers words of encouragement and appreciation to Tribal Dads, Donny Stevenson reflects on a new age of Indigenous excellence.
Joseph Martin, Muckleshoot Tribal Education Officer, shares an overview of Muckleshoot graduates including high school and college graduates, and all-time record number of graduates from Muckleshoot Department of Education programs.
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.
Official Government Website for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
© Muckleshoot Indian Tribe 2025
