Mayor Katie B. Wilson released the Summary Report of the 2025 City of Seattle | Tribal Nations Summit that occurred on September 16, 2025. The Tribal Nations Summit is the City’s bi-annual opportunity to identify actions and desired outcomes that uphold the sovereignty and treaty rights of federally recognized Tribes and to build partnerships, strengthen collaborations, and enhance diplomacy.
The 2025 City of Seattle | Tribal Nations Summit was attended by representatives of 10 Tribal Nations, five urban Indian organizations, 23 City departments, and regional partners. The City and Tribal governments made history together in 2023 at the City’s first inter-tribal government-to-government meeting. The two years of work that followed the inaugural gathering are a direct result of sustained engagement and commitment to working together more effectively as governments.
“We are proud to be among the few cities nationwide that are meaningfully working on strengthening City-Tribal relations,” said Mayor Wilson. “Through our work with Tribal governments and Native communities, the City is committed to better serving the diverse interests of Indigenous people.”
Watch this video to learn more about the significance of the City’s Tribal Nations Summit from Tribal and City leaders.
During the summit, elected Tribal leaders participated in a listening session to share top priorities with City leadership. The summit included three facilitated sessions focused on Community Safety, Housing and Homelessness, and Natural and Cultural Resources with Tribal, urban Native, and City leadership. Leaders candidly discussed their concerns, priorities, recommendations, and collaborative ideas to address shared interests.
“When we take time to listen and learn from one another, we see the immense opportunity before us. We are grateful for the opportunity to discuss, debate, collaborate, and partner across a range of issues,” said Council President Joy Hollingsworth. “What is clear is that this must be work that we commit to each and every day.”
The City identified commitments across four areas to strengthen intergovernmental relationships with Tribal Nations and to better support trust and treaty obligations to Tribal and urban Native communities, including:
- Effective Tribal Relations and Indigenous engagement encompassing structural and systemic improvements to City processes.
- Cultural visibility and vitality encompassing arts and cultural placemaking and informing City plans through Indigenous cultures, values, and priorities.
- Collaborative cultural resource stewardship encompassing programs and initiatives that impact Tribal interests in the natural and built environment.
- Culturally attuned systems of care to expand the reach and impact of City services and programs among Tribal and urban Native communities.
Read the event summary report to hear the wisdom, guidance, and instructions shared with City leadership. Read the progress report to learn about the City’s efforts since the inaugural Tribal Nations Summit.
The Tribal Nations Summit is hosted by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations in collaboration with the Department of Neighborhoods and City’s Indigenous Advisory Council and through the support of Seattle City Light, Seattle Public Utilities, Office of Housing, Office of Planning and Community Development, and Seattle Foundation.