The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

of Upper and Lower

Chehalis Chehalis may refer to: People * Chehalis people, a Native American people of Washington state **Lower Chehalis language **Upper Chehalis language * Sts'Ailes people (Chehalis people), a First Nation in British Columbia * Chehalis First Nation, Bri ...

Klallam Klallam (also Clallam, although the spelling with "K" is preferred in all four modern Klallam communities) refers to four related indigenous Native American/First Nations communities from the Pacific Northwest of North America. The Klallam cult ...

Muckleshoot The Muckleshoot ( lut, bəqəlšuł ) are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe, part of the Coast Salish peoples of the Pacific Northwest. They are descendants of the Duwamish and Puyallup peoples whose traditional territory was located a ...

, Nisqually, and

Quinault people The Quinault ( or ) are a group of Native American peoples from western Washington in the United States. They are a Southwestern Coast Salish people and are enrolled in the federally recognized Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation. The na ...

s. They are one of the Northern Straits branch Central

Coast Salish peoples The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coa ...

indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast The Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are composed of many nations and tribal affiliations, each with distinctive cultural and political identities. They share certain beliefs, traditions and practices, such as the centrality of sal ...

. Their tribe is located in southwest

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The Confederated Tribes' traditional territories were along the

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

Cowlitz Cowlitz may refer to: People * Cowlitz people, an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest ** Cowlitz language, member of the Tsamosan branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages * Cowlitz Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe of ...

Elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The common ...

, Johns, Newaukum,

Satsop Satsop is a census-designated place (CDP) in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 675 at the 2010 census, up from 619 at the 2000 census. Geography Satsop is located in southeastern Grays Harbor County on the Sats ...

, Shookumchuck, and

Wynoochee River The Wynoochee River is a long river located in the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. A tributary of the Chehalis River, the Wynoochee River rises in the Olympic Mountains within the Olympic National Park and flows generally south. ...

s, and near

Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuary, estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington (U.S. state), Washington state, in the United States of America. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the l ...

and on the lower

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

of Washington."Our Story."
''The Chehalis Tribes.'' Retrieved 19 Sept 2013.

Reservation

The Chehalis Reservation is large, and 661 American Indians, mostly tribal members, live on the reservation. The reservation was first established in 1860 for the Lower and Upper Chehalis people. Originally larger, of land were distributed to non-native settlers through an 1866 Executive Order. An additional were given to schools. More land was taken from the tribe. In 1906, only 149 Chehalis people remained on the reservation, and only 382 lived there in 1984."Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation."
''Governors Office of Indian Affairs.'' Retrieved 18 Sept 2013.

Government

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation's headquarters is in

Oakville, Washington Oakville is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It was incorporated in 1905, with booming lumber, railway, and farming industries creating the early foundation of the community. The population was 715 at the 2020 census. H ...

. The tribe is governed by a five-member, democratically elected General Council. They ratified their constitution and bylaws on 15 July 1939.

Chairmen

As of November 2017, Harry Pickernell Sr. is the current chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis."Chehalis Tribe names Harry Pickernell Sr. its chairman,"
''The Daily World.'' July 1, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2018. Past chairman include: * Don Secena (2015 -2017) * David Burnett (

Language

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

is commonly spoken by the tribe. Their traditional languages include

Upper Chehalis Upper Chehalis (''Q̉ʷay̓áyiłq̉'') is a member of the Tsamosan (Olympic) branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages The Salishan (also Salish) languages are a family of languages of the Pacific Northwest in North America ( ...

and

Lower Chehalis language Lower Chehalis (''Łəw̓ál̕məš'') is a member of the Tsamosan (or Olympic Peninsula) branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages The Salishan (also Salish) languages are a family of languages of the Pacific Northwest in Nor ...

s, which are

Quinault language Quinault (''Kʷínaył'') is a member of the Tsamosan (Olympic) branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages The Salishan (also Salish) languages are a family of languages of the Pacific Northwest in North America (the Canadian p ...

s that belong to the Tsamosan branch of the Salish language family. The last native speaker of the Upper Chehalis language died in 2001.

Economic development

The Chehalis Tribe owns and operates Lucky Eagle Casino, Eagles Landing Hotel, Grand Buffet, Scatter Creek Grill, Prime Rib and Steakhouse, and Sidewalk Deli in

Rochester, Washington Rochester () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1852, and the 2020 census recorded its population at 6,064. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area ...

,"Lucky Eagle Casino."
''500 Nations.'' Retrieved 18 Sept 2013. and the Great Wolf Lodge Resort in

Grand Mound, Washington Grand Mound is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Thurston County, Washington, Thurston County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It was named and founded by Jotham Weeks Goodell, father of Phoebe Judson, in 1851. The po ...

. It also owns three convenience stores, a fast food restaurant, two construction companies, and a cigarette stamping business. The tribe employs 1,498 people.

Notes

References

* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .

External links

Chehalis Tribe
official website
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation Coast Salish governments Klallam Native American tribes in Washington (state) Geography of Grays Harbor County, Washington Geography of Thurston County, Washington Federally recognized tribes in the United States Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast