The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

What are you perceptions of American Indians? What formed those perceptions?

American Indians comprise a unique section of American society. On Friday morning, we will leave for our overnight trip to visit the Colville reservation in northeastern Washington.

Colville leader in 1903

Tribes are sovereign governments separate court systems and laws. For example, public records laws do not apply on tribal lands, unless the tribe has adopted its own version of the laws. Most reservations are governed by tribal councils.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation represents 12 different tribes, including the Colville, Nespelem, the Chelan, and the Nez Perce of Chief Jospeh. More than 9,000 people are enrolled in the tribe, but not all of them live on a reservation of 1.4 million acres, or 2,100 square-miles.

The tribes speak their own languages, including Salish and Sahaptin, but many tribal languages are in danger of disappearing. Many tribal leaders are attempting to save those languages by recording them and teaching them to a new generation.

The Colville Reservation was established in 1872, but the government kept some of the richest land. In 1892, the north half of the reservation was ceded to the U.S. government for $1.5 million and open to homesteaders and mining companies.

Tribal leaders in 2009

Last year, the U.S. government agreed to pay $193 million to the tribes of the Colville Reservation (there are 12 tribes). The tribes had accused the government of mismanaging tribal lands and money, including funds from oil, gas, and timber leases. This was part of a $1 billion settlement with tribes across America.

You can read more about the Colville here.

Let's look at Census data on the area.