The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is a

federally recognized tribe A federally recognized tribe is a Native American tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. In the United States, the Native American tribe ...

of primarily Lower Chehalis and

Upper Chehalis people The Upper Chehalis ( ) are a Southwestern Coast Salish people Indigenous to Washington state. Classification and name The Upper Chehalis are a Southwestern Coast Salish The Coast Salish peoples are a group of ethnically and linguistica ...

located in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. The tribe governs the Chehalis Reservation, which is located along the Chehalis and

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

rivers in the vicinity of Oakville, Washington.

History

The name "Chehalis" derives from ', the name of principal village of the Lower Chehalis people and what is today

Westport, Washington Westport is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 2,213 at the 2020 census. Westport is located on the Point Chehalis Peninsula, right on the entrance to Grays Harbor from the Pacific Ocean. The publ ...

. The name, which means "sand", originally only replied to that village and its inhabitants. After colonization, it became the name of the Chehalis River and a collective term to refer to both the Upper and Lower Chehalis peoples living along it as a whole. The traditional territory of the Lower and Upper Chehalis peoples included the Chehalis River and its tributaries, including the

, Cowlitz,

Elk The elk (: ''elk'' or ''elks''; ''Cervus canadensis'') or wapiti, is the second 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. ...

, Johns, Newaukum, Satsop, Skookumchuck, and Wynoochee rivers. The Upper and Lower Chehalis people were never party to any ratified treaty. In 1864, a reservation was formally established by

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of the ...

for the Upper and Lower Chehalis peoples in 1864. On October 1, 1866, another executive order opened up to homesteading by non-Native settlers. of the total reservation lands were retained for schooling. Another section of the reservation was taken into public domain by the federal government on November 11, 1909. The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation was formally established through the creation of its constitution and bylaws on July 15, 1939. In 1906, the population of the tribe was 149. In 1984, the population had grown to 382. In 2020, the total amount of enrolled citizens was 978.

Government

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is governed by the Chehalis Community Council. All eligible Chehalis voters can participate in the Community Council. The Chehalis Community Council is responsible for enforcing tribal ordinances, as well as electing a Business Council, which manages the administration of the tribes, its properties, and its assets. The tribe's headquarters are in Chehalis Village, Washington. The existing constitution and bylaws were ratified on July 15, 1939.

Chairmen

As of November 2022, Dustin Klatush serves as 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 chairmen include: * Harry Pickernell Sr. (2017–2023) * Don Secena (2015 -2017) * David Burnett

Reservation

The Chehalis Reservation ranges , and is home to more than 600 American Indians. The reservation was first established in 1860 for the

Lower Lower may refer to: * ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is sit ...

and

. Originally larger, of land was distributed to non-native settlers in 1866 via Executive Order. An additional was given to schools. By 1906, fewer than 150 Chehalis people remained on the reservation and a 1984 survey found the population to be 382.

Economy

The Chehalis Tribe owns and operates

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, Eagle's Landing Hotel, Grand Buffet, Scatter Creek Grill, Prime Rib and Steakhouse, 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 are ...

, the Great Wolf Lodge Resort and Talking Cedar Brewing in

Grand Mound, Washington Grand Mound is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It was named and founded by Jotham Weeks Goodell, father of Phoebe Judson, in 1851. The population was 3,301 at the 2020 census. This ar ...

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

Language

English has become the common spoken language of the Tribe. Traditional languages include the Upper Chehalis and

Lower Chehalis language Lower Chehalis () is a member of the Tsamosan (or Olympic Peninsula) branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages. In some classifications, Lower Chehalis is placed closer to Quinault Quinault may refer to: * Quinault people, an Indi ...

s, which are derived from the

Quinault language Quinault () is a member of the Tsamosan (Olympic) branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages The Salishan languages ( ), also known as the Salish languages ( ), are a Language family, family of languages found in the Pacific No ...

s of the Tsamosan branch of the Salish language family. The last native speaker of the Upper Chehalis language died in 2001."Chehalis, Upper."
''Ethnologue.'' Retrieved September 18, 2013.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation Coast Salish governments Cowlitz 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 Quinault