The Swinomish Senate reelected Brian Cladoosby to another one-year term – his 21st – as chairman on February 26.

Cladoosby has served in the Senate for 32 years, 20 of those years as chairman. The chairmanship is a full-time and salaried position.

He is the ninth chairman of Swinomish since the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and, according to Swinomish archives, is the longest served. He is also serving a second term as president of the National Congress of American Indians.

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Senators serve five-year, staggered terms. After each general election, the Senate selects the chairperson and other officers from among the 11-member legislative body. The Senate reelected Brian Porter vice chairman, Sophie Bailey secretary, and Barbara James treasurer.

Senators Leon John and Steve Edwards were reelected to third terms in the most recent general election.

“I have the greatest job in the world,” Cladoosby said in an announcement of his reelection. “I thank the Creator and Swinomish tribal members for giving me the opportunity to continue serving the Swinomish Tribe. We are blessed to have a terrific group of dedicated senators who work very hard for the well-being of the Swinomish people.”

The Swinomish Tribe is a signatory to the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott; Cladoosby’s great-great-grandfather, Kel-Kahl-Tsoot, signed the treaty for the Swinomish people. Cladoosby’s grandfather, Garfield Day, served more than 24 years on the Swinomish Senate.

During Cladoosby’s tenure, Swinomish has built a diversified economy and championed issues related to sovereignty, treaty rights protection, and the environment. He and other Native leaders participated in a cultural exchange and trade dialogue with Cuba in July 2016, and he and his wife, Nina, were President and Mrs. Obama’s guests at the February 11, 2014 state dinner for the President of France.

Cladoosby is unwavering in his defense of Native Nations’ sovereignty – supreme authority over and on their lands – which Native leaders say was never yielded when they signed treaties with the U.S., making land available for newcomers. Swinomish has sued to enforce a limit on the number of railcars that travel on tracks that cross Swinomish lands, and is challenging an 1873 decision by President Ulysses S. Grant that reduced the size of the Swinomish reservation – a decision that Swinomish has long asserted required an act of Congress.

Cladoosby is also known for his sense of humor. In 2012, he introduced President Obama as “the first American Indian president” of the United States.

“Think about it for a second,” Cladoosby said in his introduction. “The president loves basketball. He has an Indian name, he knows what it’s like to be poor and he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. And his theme song is ‘Hail to the Chief.’ I think he definitely qualifies as the first American Indian president.” (Obama was adopted into the Crow Nation and was given the name Awe Kooda Bilaxpak Kuxshish, or “One Who Helps People Throughout the Land.”)

The Swinomish reservation is currently 10,000 acres, but Swinomish retains resource rights throughout its usual and accustomed territory. Swinomish is one of the five largest employers in Skagit County; its enterprises include the Swinomish Casino & Lodge, Swinomish RV Park, Swinomish Links golf course, Swinomish Fish Company, Swinomish Northern Lights Chevron, and Village Chevron. The fish company’s markets seafood products around the world under the Native Catch brand.

Swinomish also leases land for commercial use, including a boat repair facility and a log storage yard.

In an interview with the National Museum of the American Indian in January 2015, Cladoosby said his earliest influences were his teachers, Swinomish leaders, and speakers in the community.

“I really enjoyed attending grade school and high school. It was a great experience for me,” Cladoosby told NMAI. “I had some excellent teachers as role models who had a very positive impact in my life.”

One of those teachers, Landy James, also served as Swinomish chairman.

James was “not only my high school teacher, but also my football and baseball coach in high school,” Cladoosby told NMAI. “This man was all about building up the self-esteem of everyone he interacted with, especially youth.”

Today, the Swinomish Tribe’s economic success enables it to invest in the higher education of its young citizens. “Our youth have so many opportunities in front of them,” Cladoosby told NMAI. “This is what our elders prayed for. We give full-ride scholarships to the school of your choice if you graduate from high school or get a GED. We believe that the way to defeat poverty and drug and alcohol abuse is through education.”

Mel Sheldon, chairman of the Tulalip Tribes, said he and Cladoosby “have gone toe to toe” on some issues, but even then it was clear that Cladoosby was advocating for the solution he felt was best for all. “He cares not only for his own people but for all people,” Sheldon said.

Sheldon said Cladoosby is “a very humble man who knows how to listen,” and that’s why he’s an effective leader. “He always tries to find the positive in a situation. That’s a great trait to have.”

Swinomish Tribe chairmen

1938-1940: Martin Sampson

1941-1948: Tandy Wilbur Sr.

1949-1957: Joseph “Span” Joe

1957-1961: Ray Charles

1962-1971: Dewey Mitchell

1971-1977: Tandy Wilbur Jr.

1978-1979: Landy James

1979-1997: Robert Joe

1997-present: Brian Cladoosby

Source: Swinomish Tribe archives