Mitchell_Bay_Band_of_the_San_Juan_Islands
The Mitchell Bay Band of the San Juan Islands is an indigenous Coast Salish community based in the San Juan Islands of Washington, United States. The community was first referred to as the Mitchell Bay Tribe by Office of Indian Affairs agent Charles Roblin in his 1919 Census of Unenrolled Indians, in reference to one of several bays with historically significant indigenous populations.
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Mitchell Bay Band ancestors were related to other peoples — among them the Lummi, Saanich and Samish — with whom they share an origin story and language. Great Britain and the United States claimed and jointly occupied San Juan Island from 1859-1872. After the dispute was settled in favor of the U.S., many Indigenous people moved to reservations at Lummi or Swinomish; many others, however, chose to remain on the island. These individuals were grouped in Roblin’s census as the Mitchell Bay Tribe or the San Juan Tribe.
Members of the Mitchell Bay Band met on June 5, 1976 to adopt a constitution and bylaws and elect a government in an effort to become a party to U.S. v. Washington. Efforts to establish federal recognition — and a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. government — have to date been unsuccessful.