However, due to high amounts of raiding from northern peoples and disease, they migrated to the mainland, settling around the lower Nooksack River.

[4] In 1897, the case United States v. Alaska Packers' Association disallowed the Lummi on the reservation from removing non-Native fishermen in their fisheries.

[6] The Lummi Nation was part of the broader fight for fishing and treaty rights, which came to a head in 1974 with United States v. Washington (commonly known as the Boldt Decision).

During the event, 68 families paddled hand-made canoes to the Lummi Reservation from parts of Washington and British Columbia.

[7] In 2017, the Lummi Nation declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of the 2017 Cypress Island Atlantic salmon pen break.

[8] The Lummi and other parties interested in the fisheries of the Northwest were very worried about Atlantic salmon interfering with those of the Pacific waters and rivers.

[citation needed] In 2024, a nonprofit led by a Lummi Nation elder acquired over 2 acres of land just north of Madrona Point on Orcas Island.

The newly acquired land, situated next to Madrona Point, adds to the Lummi Nation's existing holdings of over 24 acres.

It, along with the recent acquisition, is part of the ancestral village of Ts’elxwisen’, which historically covered what is now Eastsound.

The Lummi opposed the project because of potential adverse environmental impact on their treaty fishing rights and their sacred sites.

[citation needed] The Lummi Nation owns a large oyster farm, which is the third largest on the west coast of the United States.

The council selects executive officers for their duties, including chair, vice-chair, treasurer, and secretary, and establishes committees for administration of the tribe.

Business Council is as follows: For the past century, the Lummi Nation has been attempting to preserve and revitalize their traditional culture.

Tribes from Washington and British Columbia compete in war canoes measuring up to fifty feet.

[4] The Lummi Nation operates a healthcare facility in Bellingham where they offer both medical and dental care, as well as substance abuse counseling.

The Academy is focused on strengthening Lummi culture, and offers social programs to at-risk teenagers.

[4] The tribe founded the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture in 1973 as a means of training tribal members in fishing and shellfish hatcheries.