Education

Bridging the gap between Western ways and traditional Native wisdom

Who We Are

Setting Sun Circle’s Education Program is designed to bridge the gap between Western ways of thinking and traditional Native wisdom. We believe a deeper understanding of Tribal and place-based history can illuminate a path toward a world where people and nature thrive together.

Our Education Program aspires to demonstrate the value of a fuller understanding of Native cultures, histories and peoples. By informing the public about the rights and traditions of Tribal sovereign Nations through experiences in the region's schools, public spaces and communities at large, we aspire to create a deeper respect for the ecological integrity of salmon country. Sharing the rich history of the Coast Salish people's centuries-long relationship with the lands, water and salmon helps to reorient the broader public toward a model of care and respect for natural systems.

Education is a reserved treaty right

“The United States further agree to establish at the general agency for the district of Puget's Sound, within one year from the ratification hereof, and to support for a period of twenty years, an agricultural and industrial school, to be free to children of the said tribes and bands in common with those of the other tribes of said district, and to provide the said school with a suitable instructor or instructors…”

-Treaty of Point Elliott 1855, Article 14

Storypole bus scene

Among the top priorities for Setting Sun's Education Program is to support effective implementation of the Washington State John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State (JMLSTI) curricular mandate by developing and providing resources for educators seeking to apply Tribal-led curricula at all grade levels. Our program and partnerships serve as a replicable model for public school systems across the state as they work to incorporate JMLSTI tribal and place-based education.

JML-STI Educator Resources

Digital Heritage Library

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Quote from supporter

Among the top priorities for Setting Sun's Education Program is to support effective implementation of the Washington State John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State (JMLSTI) curricular mandate by developing and providing resources for educators seeking to apply Tribal-led curricula at all grade levels. Our program and partnerships serve as a replicable model for public school systems across the state as they work to incorporate JMLSTI tribal and place-based education.