Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is a federally recognized Native American tribe comprising twelve distinct bands and tribes. Its sovereign territory is the Colville Indian Reservation, located in north-central Washington. The confederation was established by executive order of President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, consolidating groups from a vast region of the Columbia River Plateau.

History

The ancestral territories of the constituent tribes spanned much of the Columbia Plateau, extending into present-day British Columbia, Idaho, and Washington. Key historical events include the signing of the Treaty of 1855 with Washington Territory governor Isaac Stevens, which initially created a larger reservation. Following the discovery of gold, the reservation was significantly reduced by a subsequent executive order in 1872, forming the current boundaries. The tribes faced profound changes with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Catholic Church missions, and the enforcement of the Dawes Act, which allotted communal lands to individual ownership. Twentieth-century challenges included the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, which flooded vital villages and fishing sites like Kettle Falls, a central cultural and economic hub.

Government and economy

The tribe operates under a constitution approved under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1938. Its governing body is the fourteen-member Colville Business Council, headquartered at the Colville Indian Agency in Nespelem. Major economic enterprises include Colville Tribal Federal Corporation operations such as timber through Colville Tribal Timber, gaming at the Mill Bay Casino and Lake Roosevelt Casino, and agriculture. The tribe also manages significant natural resources, including hydroelectric power interests related to the Columbia River and extensive forest lands. Key partners in resource management and litigation include the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the United States Forest Service.

Member tribes and bands

The confederation is composed of twelve historically autonomous groups. These include the Colville (Skoyelpi), the Nespelem, the Sanpoil, the Lake (Sinixt), the Moses-Columbia (Sinkiuse-Columbia), the Entiat, the Chelan, the southern Okanagan, the Methow, the Palus, and two bands of the Wenatchi. Each group brought distinct histories and territories into the confederation, such as the Sinixt of the Arrow Lakes region and the Moses-Columbia of the Moses Lake area.

Geography and population

The Colville Indian Reservation encompasses approximately 1.4 million acres in the Okanagan Highland and the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is bordered by the Columbia River to the east and south, and includes parts of Ferry County and Okanogan County. Major population centers include Nespelem (the political center), Omak, and Inchelium. The 2010 United States Census reported a reservation population of 7,066, with enrolled tribal membership exceeding 9,000 individuals, many of whom live off-reservation in cities like Spokane.

Culture and language

The cultural heritage is diverse, rooted in the Plateau Indian traditions of the constituent tribes. Central cultural practices historically revolved around salmon fishing, particularly at Kettle Falls, and seasonal rounds for hunting and gathering roots like camas. The First Salmon Ceremony was a pivotal annual event. While English is now predominant, ancestral languages belong to several families: Salishan languages (including Colville-Okanagan language), Wakashan languages (Wenatchi dialect), Chinookan languages, and the Plateau Penutian languages (Nez Perce language). Cultural revitalization efforts are conducted through the tribe's History/Archaeology Program and events like the annual Omak Stampede and Chief Joseph Days rodeo.

Category:Native American tribes in Washington (state) Category:Federally recognized tribes in the United States