The Fight for the Graveyard
Puyallup Indians threaten to dismantle a parsonage built on their burial grounds as tensions over reservation land ownership flare.
The question of tearing down the parsonage on the Puyallup Indian reservation burial plot will be decided by the cemetery trustees next Saturday. Agent Kells was notified today to remove the building within five days, otherwise, it would be torn to pieces by the Indians and thrown into the brush. The reservation preacher, Mr. Pament, has been at the center of the conflict. In light of the recent decision to relocate the cemetery away from the railroad tracks and the understanding that the Presbyterian board will not endorse Pament, the majority of the Indians have opted against immediate demolition, preferring to let the appointment lapse in January.
“Otherwise, it would be torn to pieces by the Indians and thrown into the brush.”
This incident highlights the long history of land disputes and the struggle for Indigenous sovereignty over sacred and burial spaces in Washington. It serves as a reminder of how colonial institutions used 'preachers' and 'agents' to assert control over Indigenous lands.
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