Colville Indian Reservation
Encyclopedia
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
. The reservation is located in the southeastern section of Okanogan County and the southern half of Ferry County, but there are pieces of trust land out Eastern Washington, including lands located in Chelan County, just to the northwest of the city of Chelan
. The reservation's name is adapted from that of Fort Colville
, which was named for Andrew Colville
, a London governor of the Hudson's Bay Company
and had been founded before the region became part of the United States.
The Confederated Tribes have 8,700 descendants from 12 aboriginal tribes. The tribes are known in English as: the Colville
, the Nespelem
, the Sanpoil
, the Lakes (after the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia or Sinixt
), the Palus
, the Wenatchi
, the Chelan
, the Entiat
, the Methow
, the southern Okanagan
, the Sinkiuse-Columbia
, and the Nez Perce of Chief Joseph's Band. Some members of the Spokane tribe
also settled the Colville reservation later on. The full origin of the adoption of the name "Colville" tribe are unknown since the name only goes back to the founding of the reservation (Tribal members may also find it offensive to be called Colville). The most common of the indigenous languages spoken on the reservation is Colville-Okanagan
, a Salishan
language. Other tribes speak other Salishan languages, with the exception of the Nez Perce and Palus, who speak Sahaptian languages
.
Outsiders often named the Colville Scheulpi or Chualpay; the French traders called them Les Chaudières ("the kettles") in reference to Kettle Falls
.
, San Poil
, Nespelem
, Okanogan, Snake
, and Wallowa
rivers.
Many tribal ancestors ranged throughout their aboriginal territories and other areas in the Northwest (including British Columbia, Canada), gathering with other native peoples for traditional activities such as food harvesting, feasting, trading, and celebrations that included sports and gambling. Their lives were tied to the cycles of nature both spiritually and traditionally http://www.colvilletribes.com/facts.htm.
In the mid-19th century, when the settlers began competing for trade with the indigenous native peoples, many tribes began to migrate westward. Trading became a bigger part of their lives.
Finally an ownership dispute began between Britain and the U.S. over what the latter called the Oregon Country
and the former the Columbia District
. Both claimed the territory until the Oregon Treaty
of 1846 established American title south of the 49th Parallel
; all of the indigenous people living in those territories were not considered citizens and were not regarded as entitled to the lands. However, according to the religions of the indigenous peoples, this territory had been their home land since the time of creation.
President Fillmore
signed a bill creating the Washington Territory
, and a Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Major Isaac Stevens
of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
) was appointed to meet with the "Indians" during his exploration for railroad routes. Stevens wrote a report recommending the creation of "reservation
s" for the people in the Washington Territory; stating "contrary to natural rights and usage," the United States should grant lands that would become reservations to the Indians without purchasing from them.
In 1854 "negotiations" were conducted, "particularly in the vicinity of white settlements, toward extinguishment
of the Indian claims to the lands and the concentration of the tribes and fragments of tribes on a few reservations naturally suited to the requirement of the Indians, and located, so far as practicable, so as not to interfere with the settlement of the country."
During this time, continued settlement resulted in the Yakima War
, which was fought from 1856 to 1859. Negotiations were unsuccessful until 1865, at which time Superintendent McKenny commented:
President Grant
issued an Executive Order on April 9, 1872, to create an "Indian Reservation" consisting of several million acre
s of land, containing rivers, streams, timbered forests, grass lands, minerals, plants and animals. People from 11 tribes, including the Colville, the Nespelem, the San Poil, Lakes, Palus
, Wenatchi, Chelan, Entiat, Methow, southern Okanogan, and the Moses Columbia, were "designated" to live on the newly created Colville Indian Reservation.
The Presidential Executive Order issued on July 2, 1872 moved the Colville Indian Reservation west of the Columbia River, and reduced the size from several million to 2,852,000 acres (11,540 km²). The Tribes' native lands of the Okanogan River
, Methow Valley, and other large areas of the Columbia and Pend d'Orielle Rivers, along with the Colville Valley, were excluded. The areas removed from the reservation were some of the richest.
Twenty years later Congress ceded the north half of the reservation under the Dawes Act
. The federal government paid only $1.00 an acre ($247/km²). Later (October 10, 1900) 1,449,268 acres (5,865 km²) were opened to homesteading
. Finally, in 1914, the south half of the Reservation was ceded.
The reservation is occupied by 7,587 residents (2000 census
), both Colville tribal members and their families and other non-Colville members, living either in small communities or in rural settings. Approximately fifty percent of the Confederated Tribes membership live on or adjacent to the reservation.
Major towns include Omak
, Nespelem
, Inchelium
, Keller
, and Coulee Dam
.
The legislative districts of the reservation are divided up and named as such:
Omak District: The largest district by population, which makes up the northwestern portion of the reservation the Omak Okanogan Valley and half the town of Omak. The Okanogan River
provides the border of the reservation within the city limits of Omak.
Nespelem District: Making up the west-central portion of the reservation in the Nespelem Valley and part of the city of Coulee Dam. The Reservation Headquarters is located on the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Agency campus near the town of Nespelem. In Coulee Dam, the Columbia River also serves as a reservation border within the town limits.
Keller District: The district making up the east-central region of the reservation, namely the San Poil Valley to the mouth of the Columbia River
, along a tributary, the San Poil River, and the edge of the man-made Lake Roosevelt.
Inchelium District: Makes up the north-eastern most region of the reservation.
In 1997 and 1998, the Colville Confederated Tribes celebrated its 125th anniversary of the signing of the Executive Order that created the reservation.
(BIA) Agency at Nespelem, the Colville Business Council oversees a diverse, multi-million dollar administration that employs from 800 to 1,200 individuals in permanent, part-time, and seasonal positions. The Colville Business Council is composed of members who are elected to a renewable two-year term of office. There are four council members for each district, except for the Keller District (which has two). Each year, half of the Business Council seats in each district are up for election. Elections are held mid-June, with votes cast in person at polling sites at a predesignated location (usually the local community center) or by absentee ballot.
, Coulee Dam, and other towns neighboring the reservation.
Pascal Sherman Indian School located outside of Omak at St. Mary's Mission is the only Native American residential school on the reservation currently serving grades pre-Kindergarten-to-9 although there are ongoing plans to include a high school. Inchelium School district and Lake Roosevelt High School are the only public Kindergarten-12 schools within the physical boundaries of the reservation.
There are currently only a few options for one to pursue a post-secondary education on the reservation. The Community Colleges of Spokane
have an outreach campus in Inchelium. Big Bend Community College
has a similar campus in Grand Coulee. Spokane Tribal College has a joint venture on Nespelem's Agency Campus. Wenatchee Valley College
North Campus is located in Omak.
Many students from the reservation typically attend four-year college at Eastern Washington University
, Washington State University
, Central Washington University
, Gonzaga University
(which was first opened to service Native Americans) or University of Washington
. Heritage College also offers some courses and degrees in Omak at the Wenatchee Valley College-North Campus building.
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 the north-central part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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 is recognized by the United States of America as an American Indian Tribe
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...
. The reservation is located in the southeastern section of Okanogan County and the southern half of Ferry County, but there are pieces of trust land out Eastern Washington, including lands located in Chelan County, just to the northwest of the city of Chelan
Chelan, Washington
Chelan is a city in Chelan County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,890 at the 2010 census. It sits on the southeast tip of Lake Chelan, where the lake flows into the Chelan River....
. The reservation's name is adapted from that of 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...
, which was named for Andrew Colville
Andrew Colville
Andrew Wedderburn Colvile was a London governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. His son, Eden Colvile was appointed Governor of Rupert's Land.-External links:*...
, a London governor 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...
and had been founded before the region became part of the United States.
The Confederated Tribes have 8,700 descendants from 12 aboriginal tribes. The tribes are known in English as: the Colville
Colville (tribe)
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...
, the Nespelem
Nespelem (tribe)
The Nespelem people belong to one of 12 aboriginal Confederated Tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation in eastern Washington. They lived primarily near the banks of the Nespelem River, an Upper Columbia River tributary, in an area now known as Nespelem, Washington, located on the Colville Indian...
, 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...
, the Lakes (after the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia or Sinixt
Sinixt
The Sinixt are a First Nations People...
), the Palus
Palus (tribe)
The Palus are a Sahaptin tribe recognized in the Treaty of 1855 with the Yakamas . A variant spelling is Palouse, which was the source of the name for the fertile prairie of Washington and Idaho.- Ethnography :...
, the Wenatchi
Wenatchi
The Wenatchi Tribe is a group of Native Americans who lived in the region near the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers in Eastern Washington State...
, the Chelan
Chelan (tribe)
The Chelan tribe , meaning "Deep Water" are an Interior Salish people speaking the Wenatchi dialect, though separate from that tribe. The Chelan were historically located at the outlet of Lake Chelan in Washington.-Ethnography:...
, the Entiat
Entiat (tribe)
The Entiat people are a Native American tribe who exclusively used and occupied an area extending from the Columbia River to the Cascade Mountains along the drainage system of the Entiat River.-Ethnography:...
, the Methow
Methow (tribe)
The Methow , a Native American tribe historically lived along the Methow River, a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington. The tribe's name for the river was Buttlemuleemauch, meaning "salmon falls river". The river's English name is taken from that of the tribe...
, the southern Okanagan
Okanagan people
The Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U.S.-Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia...
, the Sinkiuse-Columbia
Sinkiuse-Columbia
The Sinkiuse-Columbia were a Native American tribe so-called because of their former prominent association with the Columbia River. They called themselves .tskowa'xtsEnux, or .skowa'xtsEnEx , or Sinkiuse. They applied the name also to other neighboring Interior Salish peoples...
, and the Nez Perce of Chief Joseph's Band. Some members of the Spokane tribe
Spokane (tribe)
The Spokane are a Native American people in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Washington. The Spokane Indian Reservation, at , is located in eastern Washington, almost entirely in Stevens County, but includes two very small parcels of land and part of the Spokane River in...
also settled the Colville reservation later on. The full origin of the adoption of the name "Colville" tribe are unknown since the name only goes back to the founding of the reservation (Tribal members may also find it offensive to be called Colville). The most common of the indigenous languages spoken on the reservation is Colville-Okanagan
Colville-Okanagan language
Colville-Okanagan is a Salish language which arose among the inhabitants of the Okanagan River Basin and spread into the Columbia River Basin. Following British, American, and Canadian colonization during the 1800s and the subsequent repression of all Salishan languages, the use of...
, a Salishan
Salishan languages
The Salishan languages are a group of languages of the Pacific Northwest...
language. Other tribes speak other Salishan languages, with the exception of the Nez Perce and Palus, who speak Sahaptian languages
Sahaptian languages
Sahaptian is a sub-grouping of two languages of the Plateau Penutian family spoken by Native American peoples in the Columbia Plateau region of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the northwestern United States.-Family division:Sahaptian includes 2 languages*Kittitas *Klickitat*Nez Percé**Nez Percé...
.
Outsiders often named the Colville Scheulpi or Chualpay; the French traders called them Les Chaudières ("the kettles") in reference to 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...
.
History
Prior to the influx of British and Americans in the mid-1850s the ancestors of the 12 aboriginal tribes followed seasonal cycles of food availability; moving to the rivers for fish runs, mountain meadows for berries and deer, or the plateau for roots. Their traditional territories were grouped primarily around waterways such as the ColumbiaColumbia 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...
, San Poil
Sanpoil River
The Sanpoil River is a tributary of the Columbia River, in the U.S. state of Washington. The term Sanpoil is from the Okanagan term [snpʕʷílx], meaning "people of the gray country", or "gray as far as one can see".-Course:...
, Nespelem
Nespelem River
The Nespelem River is a northern tributary of the Columbia River, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is completely contained within Okanogan County and the Colville Indian Reservation....
, Okanogan, Snake
Snake River
The Snake is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean...
, and Wallowa
Wallowa River
The Wallowa River is a tributary of the Grande Ronde River, approximately long, in northeastern Oregon in the United States. It drains a valley on the Columbia Plateau in the northeast corner of the state north of Wallowa Mountains. It rises in southern Wallowa County, in the Wallowa Mountains in...
rivers.
Many tribal ancestors ranged throughout their aboriginal territories and other areas in the Northwest (including British Columbia, Canada), gathering with other native peoples for traditional activities such as food harvesting, feasting, trading, and celebrations that included sports and gambling. Their lives were tied to the cycles of nature both spiritually and traditionally http://www.colvilletribes.com/facts.htm.
In the mid-19th century, when the settlers began competing for trade with the indigenous native peoples, many tribes began to migrate westward. Trading became a bigger part of their lives.
Finally an ownership dispute began between Britain and the U.S. over what the latter called the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
and the former the Columbia District
Columbia District
The Columbia District was a fur trading district in the Pacific Northwest region of British North America in the 19th century. It was explored by the North West Company between 1793 and 1811, and established as an operating fur district around 1810...
. Both claimed the territory until the Oregon Treaty
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country, which had been jointly occupied by...
of 1846 established American title south of the 49th Parallel
49th parallel north
The 49th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 49 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
; all of the indigenous people living in those territories were not considered citizens and were not regarded as entitled to the lands. However, according to the religions of the indigenous peoples, this territory had been their home land since the time of creation.
President Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
signed a bill creating the Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
, and a Commissioner of Indian Affairs (Major Isaac Stevens
Isaac Stevens
Isaac Ingalls Stevens was the first governor of Washington Territory, a United States Congressman, and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War until his death at the Battle of Chantilly...
of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
) was appointed to meet with the "Indians" during his exploration for railroad routes. Stevens wrote a report recommending the creation of "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...
s" for the people in the Washington Territory; stating "contrary to natural rights and usage," the United States should grant lands that would become reservations to the Indians without purchasing from them.
In 1854 "negotiations" were conducted, "particularly in the vicinity of white settlements, toward extinguishment
Extinguishment
Extinguishment is the destruction of a right or contract. If the subject of the contract is destroyed , then the contract may be made void. Extinguishment occurs in a variety of contracts, such as land contracts , debts, rents, and right of ways...
of the Indian claims to the lands and the concentration of the tribes and fragments of tribes on a few reservations naturally suited to the requirement of the Indians, and located, so far as practicable, so as not to interfere with the settlement of the country."
During this time, continued settlement resulted in the Yakima War
Yakima War
The Yakima War was a conflict between the United States and the Yakama, a Sahaptian-speaking people on the Northwest Plateau, then Washington Territory and now the southern interior of Eastern Washington, from 1855 to 1858.- Naming :...
, which was fought from 1856 to 1859. Negotiations were unsuccessful until 1865, at which time Superintendent McKenny commented:
- "From this report, the necessity of trading with these Indians can scarcely fail to be obvious. They now occupy the best agricultural lands in the whole country and they claim an undisputed right to these lands. White squatters are constantly making claims in their territory and not infrequently invading the actual improvements of the Indians. The state of things cannot but prove disastrous to the peace of the country unless forestalled by a treaty fixing the rights of the Indians and limiting the aggressions of the white man. The fact that a portion of the Indians refused all gratuitous presents shows a determination to hold possession of the country here until the government makes satisfactory overtures to open the way of actual purchase."
President Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
issued an Executive Order on April 9, 1872, to create an "Indian Reservation" consisting of several million acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of land, containing rivers, streams, timbered forests, grass lands, minerals, plants and animals. People from 11 tribes, including the Colville, the Nespelem, the San Poil, Lakes, Palus
Palus (tribe)
The Palus are a Sahaptin tribe recognized in the Treaty of 1855 with the Yakamas . A variant spelling is Palouse, which was the source of the name for the fertile prairie of Washington and Idaho.- Ethnography :...
, Wenatchi, Chelan, Entiat, Methow, southern Okanogan, and the Moses Columbia, were "designated" to live on the newly created Colville Indian Reservation.
The Presidential Executive Order issued on July 2, 1872 moved the Colville Indian Reservation west of the Columbia River, and reduced the size from several million to 2,852,000 acres (11,540 km²). The Tribes' native lands of the Okanogan River
Okanogan River
The Okanogan River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington...
, Methow Valley, and other large areas of the Columbia and Pend d'Orielle Rivers, along with the Colville Valley, were excluded. The areas removed from the reservation were some of the richest.
Twenty years later Congress ceded the north half of the reservation under the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
. The federal government paid only $1.00 an acre ($247/km²). Later (October 10, 1900) 1,449,268 acres (5,865 km²) were opened to homesteading
Homesteading
Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.-Current practice:The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. While land is no longer freely available in most areas of the world, homesteading...
. Finally, in 1914, the south half of the Reservation was ceded.
Current
The reservation encompasses 2,116.802 sq mi (5,482.493 km²) in land area, consisting of: tribally owned lands held in federal trust status for the Confederated Tribes, land owned by individual Colville tribal members (most of which is held in federal trust status), and land owned by other tribal or non-natives, described as fee property and taxable by counties.The reservation is occupied by 7,587 residents (2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
), both Colville tribal members and their families and other non-Colville members, living either in small communities or in rural settings. Approximately fifty percent of the Confederated Tribes membership live on or adjacent to the reservation.
Major towns include Omak
Omak, Washington
Omak is the largest city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is just south of the Canadian border where more populated cities are located ....
, Nespelem
Nespelem, Washington
Nespelem is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 236 at the 2010 census. The town is located on the Colville Indian Reservation. The name Nespelem is derived from a local Indian term meaning "large flat meadow".-History:...
, Inchelium
Inchelium, Washington
Inchelium is a census-designated place in Ferry County, Washington, United States on the Colville Indian Reservation. The population was 409 at the 2010 census....
, Keller
Keller, Washington
Keller is an unincorporated community in southeastern Ferry County in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington.-History:The town is located in the San Poil Valley , and was founded in 1898 by John C. Keller, a local businessman...
, and Coulee Dam
Coulee Dam, Washington
Coulee Dam is a town in Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The Douglas County portion of Coulee Dam is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,098 as of the 2010 census.-History:Coulee Dam was...
.
The legislative districts of the reservation are divided up and named as such:
Omak District: The largest district by population, which makes up the northwestern portion of the reservation the Omak Okanogan Valley and half the town of Omak. The Okanogan River
Okanogan River
The Okanogan River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington...
provides the border of the reservation within the city limits of Omak.
Nespelem District: Making up the west-central portion of the reservation in the Nespelem Valley and part of the city of Coulee Dam. The Reservation Headquarters is located on the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
Agency campus near the town of Nespelem. In Coulee Dam, the Columbia River also serves as a reservation border within the town limits.
Keller District: The district making up the east-central region of the reservation, namely the San Poil Valley to the mouth 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...
, along a tributary, the San Poil River, and the edge of the man-made Lake Roosevelt.
Inchelium District: Makes up the north-eastern most region of the reservation.
In 1997 and 1998, the Colville Confederated Tribes celebrated its 125th anniversary of the signing of the Executive Order that created the reservation.
Communities
- Coulee DamCoulee Dam, WashingtonCoulee Dam is a town in Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The Douglas County portion of Coulee Dam is part of the Wenatchee–East Wenatchee, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,098 as of the 2010 census.-History:Coulee Dam was...
(part, population 915) - Elmer CityElmer City, WashingtonElmer City is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 238 at the 2010 census.-History:Elmer City was officially incorporated on April 17, 1947 and is located on the Colville Indian Reservation.-Geography:...
- IncheliumInchelium, WashingtonInchelium is a census-designated place in Ferry County, Washington, United States on the Colville Indian Reservation. The population was 409 at the 2010 census....
- KellerKeller, WashingtonKeller is an unincorporated community in southeastern Ferry County in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington.-History:The town is located in the San Poil Valley , and was founded in 1898 by John C. Keller, a local businessman...
- NespelemNespelem, WashingtonNespelem is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 236 at the 2010 census. The town is located on the Colville Indian Reservation. The name Nespelem is derived from a local Indian term meaning "large flat meadow".-History:...
- Nespelem CommunityNespelem Community, WashingtonNespelem Community is a census-designated place in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 253 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Nespelem Community is located at ....
(Agency area) - North OmakNorth Omak, WashingtonNorth Omak is a census-designated place in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 688 at the 2010 census.-Geography:North Omak is located at ....
- OkanoganOkanogan, WashingtonOkanogan is a town in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,552 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Okanogan County.It has a small commuter airfield, Okanogan Legion Airport - with one paved runway of in length....
(a small part, population 2) - OmakOmak, WashingtonOmak is the largest city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is just south of the Canadian border where more populated cities are located ....
(part, population 742)
Government
The Confederated Tribes and the Colville Indian Reservation are governed by the Colville Business Council From its administrative headquarters located at the Bureau of Indian AffairsBureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
(BIA) Agency at Nespelem, the Colville Business Council oversees a diverse, multi-million dollar administration that employs from 800 to 1,200 individuals in permanent, part-time, and seasonal positions. The Colville Business Council is composed of members who are elected to a renewable two-year term of office. There are four council members for each district, except for the Keller District (which has two). Each year, half of the Business Council seats in each district are up for election. Elections are held mid-June, with votes cast in person at polling sites at a predesignated location (usually the local community center) or by absentee ballot.
Education
The current education system set for the Colville Indian Reservation is that each town on the reservation has its own K-6 school either directly or partially affiliated with the tribes. The Omak and Okanogan school districts serve the students of that area from Kindergarten-12. The Nespelem school district has a Kindergarten-8 system; most Nespelem students attend high school at nearby Lake Roosevelt High School in the town of Coulee Dam. The Keller school district serves students from Kindergarten-6 and gives students the option of attending junior and senior high school at relatively nearby Wilbur High School, Lake Roosevelt High School or Republic High School. Due to historically negative perceptions, the predominantly European-American town of Republic is rarely attended by students from Keller, though these perceptions exist within the WilburWilbur, Washington
Wilbur is a town in Lincoln County, Washington, United States. The population was 884 at the 2010 census.-History:Just prior to the construction of the Central Washington Railroad line in 1889, no towns existed west of Davenport in Lincoln County. One place along the line, "Wild Goose Bill's...
, Coulee Dam, and other towns neighboring the reservation.
Pascal Sherman Indian School located outside of Omak at St. Mary's Mission is the only Native American residential school on the reservation currently serving grades pre-Kindergarten-to-9 although there are ongoing plans to include a high school. Inchelium School district and Lake Roosevelt High School are the only public Kindergarten-12 schools within the physical boundaries of the reservation.
There are currently only a few options for one to pursue a post-secondary education on the reservation. The Community Colleges of Spokane
Community Colleges of Spokane
Community Colleges of Spokane is a community college district based in Spokane, Washington, USA. Founded in 1963, CCS serves some 38,600 students a year, spread across a service district in Eastern Washington. It comprises Spokane Community College, Spokane Falls Community College and the...
have an outreach campus in Inchelium. Big Bend Community College
Big Bend Community College
Big Bend Community College is a two-year college in Moses Lake, Washington. It offers several associate's degrees in academic and vocational fields.- History :...
has a similar campus in Grand Coulee. Spokane Tribal College has a joint venture on Nespelem's Agency Campus. Wenatchee Valley College
Wenatchee Valley College
Wenatchee Valley College, or WVC, is a two-year Community College located in Wenatchee, Washington. The college provides students with adult education classes, certifications, and 2-year Associates Degree. WVC's primary service district is one of the largest in the state, serving an area larger...
North Campus is located in Omak.
Many students from the reservation typically attend four-year college at Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral...
, Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
, Central Washington University
Central Washington University
Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...
, Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
(which was first opened to service Native Americans) or University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. Heritage College also offers some courses and degrees in Omak at the Wenatchee Valley College-North Campus building.
Legends and stories
- Coyote and the buffalo- Colville legend about why buffalo don't live near Kettle Falls.
- Coyote quarrels with mole- Colville legend about coyote fighting with his wife.
- Spirit chief names the animal people- Colville legend about the naming of the Chip-chap-tiqulk.
- Turtle and the eagle- Colville folktale about turtle winning a race.
External links
- Official site of the Colville Confederated Tribes
- Colville Business (Tribal) Council
- The Colville.
- Colville Tribal Enterprises Corporation
- Okanagan Nation Alliance (includes the Colville Confederated Tribes as well as Okanagans in Canada).
- [ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/WA/news/conservation_shocases/CS_FirstSalmon_3-06.pdf Ceremony marks return of salmon, tradition to Colville Reservation]- Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington