The Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually 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
Nisqually people
The Nisqually is a Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. They are a Southern Coast Salish people. They are federally recognized as the Nisqually Indian Tribe, formerly known as the Nisqual ...
. They are a
Coast Salish people of
indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest
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
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 on ...
.
Some of the people of Nisqually descent are enrolled in the
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Upper and Lower Chehalis, Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Quinault peoples. They are one of the Northern Straits branch Central Coast Salish peoples of i ...
but neither tribe allows a Nisqually to be enrolled in both tribes at the same time.
Reservation
The
Nisqually Reservation
The Nisqually Reservation, also known as Nisqually Indian Reservation is a federally recognized Indian reservation in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 668 at the 2020 census.
History
Nisqually Indian Reservation wa ...
is 1,000-acres large and located in
Thurston County, Washington, 15 miles east of
Olympia
The name Olympia may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games
* ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
. All of the current reservation land was acquired by the tribe in the last 25 years. The
reservation __NOTOC__
Reservation may refer to: Places
Types of places:
* Indian reservation, in the United States
* Military base, often called reservations
* Nature reserve
Government and law
* Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty
* Reservation in India, ...
was established by the
Treaty of Medicine Creek of 1854. Originally 5,105 acres, the reservation was mostly east of the
Nisqually River in
Pierce County, Washington
Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 921,130, up from 795,225 in 2010, making it the second-most populous county in Washington, behind King County, and the 60th-most populous ...
. The tribal lands were broken into individual allotments in 1884. In 1917, Pierce County, through the process of condemnation proceedings (eminent domain), took 3,370 acres (14 km²) for the
Fort Lewis Military Reserve.
Government
The Nisqually Indian Tribe is headquartered in
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region.
European ...
. They ratified their constitution and bylaws on 9 September 1946. These were amended on 28 October 1994. The tribe is governed by a seven-member, democratically elected General Council. The current tribal administration is as follows:
* Chairperson: Farron McCloud
* Vice-Chairperson: William Frank III
* Secretary: Sheila McCloud
* Treasurer: Stephanie Scott
* Member:Brian McCloud
* Member: Antonette Squally
* Member: Vacant .
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 on by the tribe. Their traditional language is the
Nisqually language
Lushootseed (txʷəlšucid, dxʷləšúcid), also Puget Salish, Puget Sound Salish or Skagit-Nisqually, is a language made up of a dialect continuum of several Salish tribes of modern-day Washington state. Lushootseed is one of the Coast Salish ...
, which is a
Southern Puget Sound Salish language
Lushootseed (txʷəlšucid, dxʷləšúcid), also Puget Salish, Puget Sound Salish or Skagit-Nisqually, is a language made up of a dialect continuum of several Salish tribes of modern-day Washington state. Lushootseed is one of the Coast Salish ...
.
[
]
Economic development
The Nisqually Indian Tribe owns and operates Red Wind Casino
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
, Blue Camas Buffet, Squalli-Absch Grille, The Medicine Creek Deli, and Pealo's Landing."Red Wind Casino."
''500 Nations.'' Retrieved 20 Sept 2013.
Notable tribal members
*
Billy Frank Jr.
Billy Frank Jr. (March 9, 1931 – May 5, 2014) was a Native American environmental leader and treaty rights activist. A Nisqually tribal member, Frank led a grassroots campaign for fishing rights on the tribe's Nisqually River, located in Wa ...
(b. 1931), Indigenous rights and environmentalist activist
Notes
References
* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .
External links
Nisqually Indian Tribe official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nisqually Indian Tribe Of The Nisqually Reservation
Coast Salish governments
Native American tribes in Washington (state)
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast