Chapter 208

Washington D.C., Bureau of Indian Affairs

Elsewhere in the bustling capital city, another government doc.u.ment was awaiting a final approving signature. Unlike the Treaty being signed in the White House, the doc.u.ment was between the Bureau and the nation of the Coast Salish Indians. Unlike agreements reached between the government and Indian Nations during the 1800's, the Salish actually believed this one to be in their favor.

The Coast Salish were a peaceful people. Like many Native American tribes, the Salish lived as one with their environment. Seeing all things mechanical as a disruption, and many common activities of commercial resource harvesting as a malicious act upon the natural environment, they were the forerunners of a frame of mind that would later become common in the environmentalist movement. Subsisting off what bounty the Puget Sound provided, the Salish enjoyed a better lifestyle than what was to be found on reservations belonging to other Native American tribes.

In the wake of disclosure, it was learned that descendents of Salish had been encountered early into the gates use by the Air Force. Traveling to PXY-887, SG teams made contact with these descendents. Living in harmony with their environment, and their spirits, their home world was a lush if uneventful world. SGC attempts to mine the Trinium present in great abundance on this world brought to light that these spirits were in fact a race known as the Xel's, who sought nothing more than to protect the Salish from the Goa'uld they had once driven away.

It began with a letter campaign from a handful of people, and quickly grew in scope. Soon a petition took shape and found its way to the hands of a congressional representative from the state of Washington. Unsure of exactly how to handle the situation, the congressman put this petition in the hands of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. From there, things began to happen quickly.

At the direction of the President, Under Secretary of State Simon Barnes was dispatched via Daedalus class vessel to PXY-887. Once there, on behalf of the United States government, he informed the Salish and Xel of the wishes of the Coast Salish on Earth. Learning of their kinsman's desire to be rejoined with them, the off world Salish were overjoyed to learn that they would be rejoined with a people forgotten to them. To everyone's surprise, the Xel also welcomed the news with open arms.

Over the course of four days, negotiations had taken place between the elders of the off world Salish, the Xel, and Under Secretary Barnes. Learning of like-minded environmental reverence, the negotiation quickly turned into more of a logistical management exercise. By day three of the four day get together, locations for new camps were laid out for those to soon call this world home.

Returning to Earth with approval in hand, Barnes informed the Tribal Council delegation visiting the nation's capital that they would be allowed to join the off world Salish. His duties accomplished, Barnes turned the matter back over to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. At the behest of the military, the BIA negotiated an exchange between the Coast Salish and the US government. In exchange for trade credits worth eighty million dollars that could be put to use at the Pan Galactic Trade Exchange in Shambhala, the Coast Salish surrendered the Tulalip Reservation.

The thirty-five square mile section of Washington State would be put to great use. Closely resembling many of the worlds SG teams typically visited, the former Reservation would be transformed into a training ground for SG teams. All this was made possible with the first large relocation of an indigenous people from Earth into the Milky Way in hundreds of years