The League of Women Voters of Kitsap, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee hosted a Voices of Kitsap Webinar featuring Suquamish Tribal Chairman Leonard Forsman. Watch the webinar recorded on June 16, 2023.
Chairman Forsman discussed issues that are facing indigenous people and answered questions such as: how can we be better allies to the two tribes in our county? How does the Suquamish tribe interact with the county (police, development, etc.), the state, and the federal government? Since they are sovereign nations, how are these relationships affected? What are the current priorities of the Suquamish tribe to improve the lives of tribal members? What upcoming events and activities sponsored by the Suquamish can League members and the public participate in?
About the Speaker
Hon. Leonard Forsman (Suquamish) grew up in Suquamish on the Port Madison Indian Reservation and lives there today with his family. He has been Tribal Chairman for the Suquamish Tribe since 2005, and has served on the Tribal Council for over 30 years.
He is President of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, Northwest Regional Vice President of the National Congress of American Indians and currently serves on multiple tribal, intertribal and intergovernmental boards and commissions including the Kitsap County Regional Coordinating Council, the Friends of Waterfront Seattle, the Washington Indian Gaming Association and the West Sound Partners for Ecosystem Recovery. President Barack Obama appointed him to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation as the Native American Member in 2013 and Vice-Chair in 2016. Governor Jay Inslee recently named him to the Board of Regents for the University of Washington, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation from Goucher College where he studied the relevance of the National Register of Historic Places to tribal cultural values systems.
Prior to his tribal leadership service, he worked as a professional archaeologist and is the former director of the Suquamish Museum. Leonard is active in the Tribal Canoe Journeys as a puller in the Sea-ah-ma-oaks voyaging canoe. The Potlatch Fund honored him with the Fran James Cultural Preservation Award in 2011.