Martha George (April 28, 1892 – January 7, 1987) was a native American tribal leader, repeatedly elected chairperson of the Suquamish tribe, serving from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. She was a descendant of Chief Seattle in present-day Washington state. She founded the Small Tribes Organization of Western Washington.
George was a famous basketweaver, who taught master weaver Peg Deam. <blockquote> Deam recounted a story of when she was a little girl and asked George to take her to gather bark for a cedar dress. George laughed - winter is not the time for gathering - and took her in the spring. </blockquote> Her collection of Coast Salish baskets is displayed in the Suquamish Museum.
<blockquote> "They took what they needed and that's all. There's nothing wasted. That's quite important among the Indians: that you should respect the earth." </blockquote>âÂÂMartha George, in the video documentary Come Forth Laughing