Colville (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Colville tribe is a Native American
tribe of the Pacific Northwest
. The name Colville comes from association with Fort Colville
, named after Andrew Colvile of the Hudson's Bay Company
. They called themselves Shwoyelpi, or Skoyelpi.
on the Colville River
and the area of the Columbia River
between Kettle Falls
and Hunters
.
The tribe's history is tied with Kettle Falls
, an important salmon fishing resource, and an important post of the Hudson's Bay Company
, which brought the advantages and disadvantages of contact with people of Europe
an heritage. In 1846, the Jesuit mission of St. Paul was established. Through its influence nearly all the upper Columbia
tribes were Christianized.
In 1872, the Colville tribe was relocated to the Colville Indian Reservation
,
an Indian reservation
in eastern Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
, which are federally recognized tribes.
Mooney (1928) estimated the number of the Colville at 1,000 as of 1780, but Lewis and Clark placed it at 2,500, a figure also fixed upon by Teit (1930). In 1870, there were 616; in 1900, 298; in 1904, 321; in 1907, 334; and in 1937, 322.
, Sanpoil
, and Senijextee (Sinixt
).
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. The name Colville comes from association with Fort Colville
Fort Colville
The trade center Fort Colville was built by the Hudson's Bay Company at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River, a few miles west of the present site of Colville, Washington in 1825, to replace Spokane House as a regional trading center, as the latter was deemed to be too far from the Columbia River...
, named after Andrew Colvile of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. They called themselves Shwoyelpi, or Skoyelpi.
History
The tribe was originally located in eastern WashingtonEastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the portion of the U.S. state of Washington east of the Cascade Range. The region contains the city of Spokane , the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the...
on the Colville River
Colville River (Washington)
The Colville River is a 60 mile long tributary of the Columbia River in northeastern Washington in the United States.-Course:The Colville River begins in southern Stevens County, Washington at the confluence of Sheep Creek and Deer Creek. It flows northwest past Colville and into the Columbia...
and the area of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
between Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls was an ancient and important salmon fishing site on the upper reaches of the Columbia River, in what is today the U.S. state of Washington, near the Canadian border...
and Hunters
Hunters, Washington
Hunters is an unincorporate community in Stevens County, Washington, United States. The population for its zip code was 306 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 306 people, and 135 households residing in the zip code...
.
The tribe's history is tied with Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls
Kettle Falls was an ancient and important salmon fishing site on the upper reaches of the Columbia River, in what is today the U.S. state of Washington, near the Canadian border...
, an important salmon fishing resource, and an important post of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, which brought the advantages and disadvantages of contact with people of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an heritage. In 1846, the Jesuit mission of St. Paul was established. Through its influence nearly all the upper Columbia
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
tribes were Christianized.
In 1872, the Colville tribe was relocated to the Colville Indian Reservation
Colville Indian Reservation
The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is recognized by the United States of America as an American Indian Tribe...
,
an Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in eastern Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is the federally recognized tribe that controls the Colville Indian Reservation, which is located in Washington, United States....
, which are federally recognized tribes.
Mooney (1928) estimated the number of the Colville at 1,000 as of 1780, but Lewis and Clark placed it at 2,500, a figure also fixed upon by Teit (1930). In 1870, there were 616; in 1900, 298; in 1904, 321; in 1907, 334; and in 1937, 322.
Language
The Colville belonged to the Interior Salishan linguistic stock and to that branch of the latter which included the OkanaganOkanagan
The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
, Sanpoil
Sanpoil (tribe)
The Sanpoil is one of 12 aboriginal Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation. The name Sanpoil comes from the Okanagan [snpʕwílx], "gray as far as one can see". It has been folk-etymologized as coming from the French sans poil, "without fur". The Yakama people know the tribe as...
, and Senijextee (Sinixt
Sinixt
The Sinixt are a First Nations People...
).