SUQUAMISH — Muckleshoot Tribal Councilwoman Virginia Cross received recognition from Gov. Jay Inslee and Tribal leaders from around the state at the Centennial Accord meeting this year. Cross was an original signatory of the 1989 Centennial Accord, which was a formal commitment to implement government-to-government relations between Washington’s Federally Recognized Tribes and the State.
Governor Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire, who was Washington State Attorney General at the time, joined Tribal chairs from throughout the state in 1999, on the eve of the new Millennium, to reaffirm the Accord and agreed to implement the terms of the Accord on a day-to-day basis.
"It is critical for people to realize that the establishment and continued function of the state of Washington is based on contracts, or treaties, with the Native American nations. As we enter the new millennium, we must all understand that these contracts are the law of the land, as defined in the Constitution of the United States," Gregoire said.
The intent of the 1989 Accord continues today in no small part because Tribal leaders such as Cross, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s longest serving Council member, have been unrelenting in holding the state accountable to its promises.
In June, Muckleshoot witnessed the graduation of 42 Muckleshoot Tribal Members with college degrees and 134 Muckleshoot Tribal Members who earned their technical education and vocational certificates.
Muckleshoot celebrated its Warrior traditions and veterans service with Tribes from around the region at the 2025 Veterans Powwow last month. Photos courtesy of Danielle Wilcox.
Councilwoman Cross joined retired Seattle University professor Fr. Pat Twohy, S.J., to celebrate his 86th birthday and the recent publication of his latest book, syəyaʔaʔ: Coast Salish Sacred Lifeways and the Sacred Lifeways of Jesus.
The Muckleshoot Tribal Council, Muckleshoot Intergovernmental Affairs, and our D.C. team were actively engaged since the BBB’s inception in January to ensure that the Tribe’s sovereignty and treaty rights were protected in this process.
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.