The Quinault Indian Nation ( or ; QIN), formerly known as the Quinault Tribe of the Quinault 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 Quinault, Queets, Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz peoples."People of the Quinault."
''Quinault Indian Nation.'' Retrieved September 24, 2013. They are a Southwestern Coast Salish people of

Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast The Indigenous peoples of the Americas, 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 prac ...

. Their tribe is 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 ...

on the Pacific coast of the

Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

. These peoples are also represented in other tribes in Washington and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. In July 2016, about 2,500 landowners with interests in the Quinault Reservation were offered about $59 million by the

U.S. Department of Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relating ...

as part of its Native Lands Buy-Back Program as part of the settlement of the '' Cobell v. Salazar'' class-action suit."Landowners on two reservations see $70M from Cobell program"
''Indianz.com,'' July 14, 2016; accessed November 26, 2016"Landowners with Fractional Interests at Fort Hall, Quinault Indian Reservations Receive $70 Million in Buy-Back Purchase Offers"
July 14, 2016, Press Release, Department of Interior; accessed November 26, 2016 The land purchased will be put into trust for the tribe at this reservation. Among other tribes, a range of 41 to 45% of people have accepted such offers. The agency has restored about to tribes under this program.

Reservation

The Quinault Reservation was founded in 1855 with the signing of the Treaty of Olympia (also known as the Quinault River Treaty) with the United States. The reservation covers and includes of

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

coastline, located on the southwestern corner of the

. It is bordered by the

Olympic National Park Olympic National Park is a national park of the United States located in Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier e ...

to the northwest, which was established in 1909 as a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

by President

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York politics, including serving as ...

. The reservation is in

Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state, in the United States. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flooded the ...

and Jefferson counties, north of

Hoquiam, Washington Hoquiam ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, Grays Harbor County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It borders the city of Aberdeen, Washington, Aberdeen at Myrtle Street, with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a ...

. The three largest rivers on the reservation are the Quinault, the Queets, and the

Raft A raft is any flat structure for support or transportation over water. It is usually of basic design, characterized by the absence of a hull. Rafts are usually kept afloat by using any combination of buoyant materials such as wood, sealed barre ...

. The Quinault Indian Nation owns Lake Quinault.

Taholah

Taholah is the largest settlement in the Quinault Reservation and is home to the tribal government's main facilities. In 2015, the tribal government proposed a $60 million plan to relocate the village to an uphill area southeast of the existing village, away from potential

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

and flooding hazard zones. Construction on the relocated village began in 2019. The first part of the relocated village, a senior and children center named the Generations Building (), opened in May 2021.

Government

The Quinault Indian Nation is headquartered in

Taholah, Washington Taholah is a unincorporated village on the Quinault Indian Reservation, in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. Named for a Quinault chief in 1905, its population was 840 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United S ...

. They ratified their bylaws on August 24, 1922, and their constitution in 1975. The tribe is governed by an eleven-member Tribal Council, or "Business Committee", which is democratically elected by the adult tribal membership (the General Council) at regular annual meetings. , tribal administration is as follows: * President: Guy Capoeman * Vice President: Noreen Underwood * Treasurer: Hannah Curley * Secretary: Mandy Hudson-Howard * 1st Councilwoman: Gina James * 2nd Councilmen: Jim Sellers * 3rd Councilmen: John Bryson Jr. * 4th Councilmen: Tyson Johnston * 5th Councilwoman: Brittany Bryson * 6th Councilmen: Kaylah Mail * 7th Councilwomen: Kristeen Mowitch."Quinault Tribal Council."
''Quinault Indian Nation.'' Retrieved July 24, 2023. Enrollment to the Quinault Indian Tribe requires that an individual be descended from at least one of the Nation's seven tribes (Quinault, Queets, Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Cowlitz, and Chinook) and meet all other constitutional eligibility criteria for Quinault Nation membership. Persons who are direct descendants of members but have less than one-fourth blood quantum can apply to be formally adopted into the tribe.

Language

English is commonly spoken by the tribe. Formerly tribal members spoke Quileute, Cowlitz, and Chinook languages.

Economic development

The Quinault Indian Nation owns Quinault Pride Seafood, Land, and Timber Enterprises, and the Mercantile in

. They run their own internal facilities and in the 21st century are the largest employer in Grays Harbor County. They also own and operate the Quinault Beach Resort and , a new enterprise started in the late 20th century; Emily's Ocean Front Restaurant, Sidewalk Bistro and Deli, coffee bar, and Fireplace Nook; and Qmart 1 in Oyehut, near Ocean Shores, Washington. They also own Qmart 2 in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

. Since 2009, the casino has been the site of the annual Hog Wild Rally, one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the Pacific Northwest. In June 2018, $25 million in renovations and expansion to the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino were completed. This project included remodeling of 159 resort rooms, additional gaming area, a new feature bar, kitchen facilities and a tribal themed buffet restaurant.

Notable people

* Fawn Sharp, Native American politician, attorney, and policy advocate

Notes

References

External links

Quinault Indian Nation
official website

Economic Development of QIN
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinault Indian Nation Coast Salish governments Cowlitz Native American tribes in Washington (state) Geography of Grays Harbor County, Washington Geography of Jefferson County, Washington Federally recognized tribes in the United States Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast Quileute Quinault