Sunday, August 01, 2004

Editorial
Return Old Man House to its tribal roots 

A pocket-size state park overflowing with historical and cultural significance for the Suquamish Tribe should be returned to those who value it most. 

The State Parks and Recreation Commission can begin the transfer of the former tribal land at its Aug. 12 meeting. In exchange, the state should expect iron-clad assurances of public access and an enforceable management plan from the tribe. Once home to Seattle namesake Chief Sealth, the tribe's ancestral winter village on Agate Passage, at the eastern edge of the Kitsap Peninsula, was the site of his 600-foot cedar longhouse. 

One-acre Old Man House State Park approximates the location of the middle section of the longhouse. For the Suquamish people, the land is the heart of an ancient mother village lost to the War Department in 1905 for a naval fortification that was never built. 

After long study and extensive public testimony, the time is ripe to transfer the property to the tribe. 

Decades after the U.S. government took control of the property, the land was sold to a private buyer. In 1950, the state purchased three lots for what became the park. Homes eventually boxed in the waterfront site. 

The tiny state park became a quiet neighborhood amenity, so some homeowners fear tribal control means non-Indians will be excluded and the site will become a disorderly nuisance. 

Other neighbors welcome the tribe's commitment to higher maintenance levels than the cash-strapped state has provided. They also welcome new sign-age and displays to celebrate a local historical treasure. 

Beyond the neighborhood there is an extraordinary amount of official and civic support for reconnecting the Suquamish Tribe with this part of its heritage. 

Under tribal ownership the park would remain open to the general public, be free of alcohol, drugs and fireworks, and managed with community input. Proposed park quiet hours would actually be more restrictive than state park regulations. 

If the tribe failed to honor the agreement, a reversionary clause common to such transfers could return the property to the state. The Suquamish have agreed to a limited waiver of sovereign immunity. 

Return of Old Man House to its native roots can be done so that it enriches the region's cultural heritage and protects those nearby. It's time to quit talking and proceed.