Samish Indian Nation Vice Chairman Tom Wooten (left) performed a traditional song with other tribal members last Saturday on the occasion of the opening of the Tommy Thompson Parkway. The public parkway runs through the tribe’s Fidalgo Bay Resort. Wooten noted that the day was also important for the tribe as it marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Point Elliott Treaty. According to HistoryLink.org, Native American tribes signed the Point Elliott Treaty at Mukilteo on January 22, 1855. “Chief Seattle joined 81 other leaders of Puget Sound tribes in signing the treaty with Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens (1818-1862) at Point Elliott (now Mukilteo). Tribes surrendered their lands for cash, relocation to reservations, and access to traditional fishing and hunting grounds. Four days later, tribal leaders from Hood Canal and the upper Puget Sound signed a similar agreement at Point-No-Point (near Hansville on the Kitsap Peninsula). Governor Stevens later enumerated 9,712 Native Americans living west of the Cascade Range. Only a few hundred white settlers occupied Puget Sound when the treaties were concluded.”