The Snoqualmie Tribe has officially launched a new tribally developed curriculum website designed to support students, educators, schools, and families throughout Snoqualmie ancestral lands and beyond. The new educational platform features lesson plans, activities, Lushootseed language recordings, Tribal Elder storytelling, historical resources, and interactive learning materials for students from infant learning through high school.
The Snoqualmie Tribe, or sdukʷalbixʷ in Lushootseed, has lived throughout the Southern Salish Sea region and Snoqualmie Valley since time immemorial. Sacred Snoqualmie Falls, šəqaʔłdəł / sqʷəd, remains the Tribe’s place of origin and a central part of Snoqualmie identity, history, and cultural teachings.
The launch builds upon statewide efforts to strengthen Tribal education in Washington schools following the passage of Senate Bill 5433 in 2015, which expanded the John McCoy Since Time Immemorial curriculum requirement and encouraged the inclusion of tribally developed curriculum in classrooms across the state.
Development of the Snoqualmie Tribe’s curriculum began in 2023 through support from past and present Tribal Council, the Child Care and Development Fund, Education Northwest, and an interdepartmental Tribal work group that included staff from Culture, Language, Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Environmental and Natural Resources, Education, Childcare, Communications, and several additional Tribal programs.
Lessons are designed to meet Washington State learning standards while centering Snoqualmie knowledge, language, history, and relationships with the land and water. Curriculum content is organized by age and grade level, with each section reflecting culturally grounded educational themes.
Early childhood lessons follow the Snoqualmie Tribe’s traditional 12 moon calendar.
Grades K through 2 focus on seasonal teachings, oral traditions, and living in relationship with nature. Grades 3 through 5 explore geography and the Tribe’s ongoing connection to ancestral lands and waterways.
Middle school curriculum introduces students to Tribal government, treaty rights, federal re-recognition, and the history of the Fish Wars, while encouraging critical thinking and historical understanding. High school lessons emphasize STEM learning, climate change, Tribal advocacy, and the relationship between traditional ecological knowledge and Western science, helping students consider stewardship and the future of Snoqualmie ancestral lands.
“The Tribe looks forward to continuing to grow and expand these educational offerings in the years ahead,” said the Snoqualmie Tribal Council. “We hope these materials help strengthen understanding, encourage respectful learning, and create meaningful opportunities for students and educators to engage with Snoqualmie history, language, and culture.”
School districts, private schools, and homeschool educators are encouraged to explore the curriculum website and consider incorporating these materials into the 2026–2027 academic year. The site also includes contact information for the Tribe’s Tribal Curriculum Education Facilitator and Education Youth Advocate, who are available to answer questions, gather feedback, and provide classroom support for educators.
For more information, visit the Snoqualmie Tribe curriculum website, curriculum.snoqualmietribe.us