
The Muckleshoot Easter Weekend Sla-Hal celebration returned to the White River Amphitheatre April 3–5, bringing together families, players, and visitors from across Indian Country for a weekend of community and competition.
Throughout the weekend, the grounds were filled with songs, laughter and visiting as families gathered around the games and spent time together. Saturday’s main stick game tournament drew large crowds as teams competed for cash prizes, while open games continued throughout the weekend.
Sla-Hal, also known as the stick game or bone game, has been played by the Muckleshoot people and other Coast Salish Tribes since time immemorial. Long before modern casinos, the game was one of the earliest traditional forms of gambling among Native people and continues to bring communities together.
Topping things off was Sunday morning’s Easter egg hunt, which brought smiles to all the youth.
Photos from the weekend captured moments of competition, celebration and families enjoying time together during another successful Easter Weekend Sla-Hal gathering.

The Tribal Council went to Washington, D.C. in April to press for the Tribe’s federal agenda and strengthen the Tribe’s government- to-government relationship with the United States.

It’s springtime and the Muckleshoot Fisheries Division is pleased to announce that the Tribe’s Vashon Island tidelands are OPEN for Clam Digging and Oyster Harvest Permits are now available at the Fisheries Office.

As the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery celebrates its 30th anniversary, we are taking a look back at the people and the activities that brought about the formation and development of this unique organization and partnership.

Each year when winter arrives, the Wildlife Program begins gearing up for one of our biggest events of the year – mule deer captures on the eastern slope of the Cascades.
The Muckleshoot Messenger is a monthly Tribal publication. Tribal community members and Tribal employees are welcome to submit items to the newspaper such as announcements, birth news, birthday shoutouts, community highlights, and more. We want to hear from you!