Puyallup Tribe concerned about work by cemetery on BIA land

Monday, December 2, 2013  

The Puyallup Tribe of Washington is worried about construction work near a cemetery that's the resting place for generations of families.

The city sent a notice of the project but the letter apparently went to the wrong tribal departments. A stop work order was issued after the tribe raised concerns about the impacts on the Indian Willard Cemetery.

“That cemetery is sacred to us, it’s where our families are,” police chief Joe Duenas told The Tacoma News-Tribune. “I remember visiting it as a boy. It’s an active cemetery – I buried my mother, Jody Wright, there last year.”

The 1.27-acre cemetery is located on land owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A fence encloses the property but tribal members say it's likely that there are graves beyond the fence.

There's also a paved road that runs through the property. No one is certain how it came about.

The city is planning to trench the road for new sewer and water lines, the News-Tribune said.

Get the Story:
Puyallup Tribe, city working toward cemetery solution (The Tacoma News-Tribune 12/2)