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The Pacific Northwest Historians Guild brings together scholars concerned with the study and dissemination of regional history. Founded in Nov. 1980, the Guild fosters teaching and appreciation of Northwest history and promotes communication among regional historians.


March 28, 7pm, on Zoom: “City of Tacoma v. Andrus: Tacoma’s Legal Battle to End Federal Recognition of the Puyallup Tribe” looks at the importance of the ruling City of Tacoma v. Andrus for further cementing the Puyallup Tribe’s treaty rights and as precursor to the nationally renowned Puyallup Tribe Land Settlement of 1990. The Boldt decision further emboldened the Puyallup Tribe to continue their self-advocacy and self-determination through federal action.  The Secretary of the Interior, working under the Indian Reorganization Act, began working with Puyallup tribal citizens to put their former trust land back into trust status.  The Secretary’s actions were met with hostility from Tacoma settlers.  In response, the Tacoma filed City of Tacoma v. Andrus (1977) to halt the Secretary from any further trust action with some statements from the plaintiff side suggesting that the Puyallup Reservation no longer existed, and thus the Puyallup Tribe no longer existed either.  The suit also declared that trust lands were subject to local taxation and regulation.

Danica Sterud Miller (Puyallup Tribe of Indians) is an Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Washington Tacoma, which resides on her ancestral lands. Her research focuses on textual constructions of Indigenous sovereignty, Federal Indian law, and Puyallup resistance. She is also the Co-Director of the UW Center of American Indian and Indigenous Studies (CAIIS), which is dedicated to offering structural support and resources for Indigenous faculty, students, and staff.

Registration is free, but required to attend. Click here to register! Looking forward to seeing you there!