Puyallup << pyoo AWL up >> are a native people of the Puget Sound region in northwestern Washington, near what is now Tacoma. They belong to a group of tribes also known as the Coastal Salish (see Salish ). The Puyallup have intermarried with other Salish groups and share many of their religious and cultural traditions. The Puyallup Tribe of Indians, as they call themselves, has its own tribal government, laws, police, and public services.
In the past, Puyallup made their living mainly through fishing. Salmon was their main food source and even had religious significance for the Puyallup. The Puyallup built small villages along rivers where salmon runs—mass migrations of salmon—occurred each year. The Puyallup also hunted small game and gathered wild plant foods. They built shelters of cedar. In the winter, family groups shared large, wooden buildings known as longhouses.
European traders first encountered the Puyallup in the early 1830’s. In 1854, the Puyallup and other tribes in the region signed the Medicine Creek Treaty with the United States. The treaty established a Puyallup reservation—land that is reserved by the tribe through treaty. However, disputes with the government greatly reduced the size of the reservation lands over time. Today, only a few families remain on reservation lands. A tribal council formed in 1936 administers programs for tribal members and other people living in traditional Puyallup lands.
