Who Are The Colville Confederate Tribes?
For hundreds of years before explorers and settlers reached the lands of the Columbia Plateau, numerous tribes of native people occupied the territory of Eastern Washington.
Up to the mid 1850s the ancestors of the Colville Confederated Tribes were nomadic, but life changed for them with the coming of settlers in the 1800s. Today, the Colville Confederated Tribes is made up of 11 different bands of Indians. Ten bands are from Eastern Washington State, and one band, the Nez Perce, is from Northeast Oregon. The 11 bands are: Wenatchee, Entiat, Chelan, Methow, Okanogan, Nespelen, San Poil, Lakes, Moses, Palouse, and Nez Perce.
How Did These Native Americans Live?
As nomadic peoples, the different bands followed the seasons and their sources of food.
Deer and other big game, plus dried salmon were the primary food of winter. Small groups lived in the mountains and hunted the abundant game.
In the spring the native people congregated in slightly larger groups to gather camas and other roots in the lower valleys. Through the summer and fall the Columbia River provided abundant salmon and other fish which encouraged large concentrations of Salish speaking people.
How Did The Different Bands Come To Be Called The "Colville" Tribes?
Many different tribes fished and traded goods with each other in the area of Kettle Falls, Washington. In the 1820s, white people learned that the Indians excelled at trapping and stalking game for the large fur trade. For this purpose, a new fort was established at Kettle Falls by a man named Simpson.
The new post was to be called Fort Colville, after the leading member of the committee of directors in London, Andrew Wedderburn Colville, who was in the rum and molasses business, never set foot in America. He had, however, advanced Simpson to his position of leadership.
Trading took place at Fort Colville almost daily. From 1826 to 1887, Indians traded beaver, brown or black bear, grizzly, muskrat, fisher, fix, lynx, martin, mink, otter, raccoon, wolverine, badger and wolf. Beaver and otter were most important, but martin and bear became popular after the 1840s. As many as 20,000 pelts a year went out of Fort Colville.
The word "Colville" was used by government officials not the aboriginal Indians, who never met Andrew Colville. As time went on, and for convenience, the term "Colville" came more and more to be used as a designation for the native people of this area. Because of Fort Colville, all neighboring bands were eventually confederated as Colville Indians.
By executive order of President Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1872, the Colville Indian Reservation was formed and became the permanent home to the Indians.
St. Paul’s Mission near Kettle Falls today includes the original site of Fort Colville, once the second largest center for fur trading in the Northwest, and a rustic log missionary church.
When Were The Boundaries Of The Colville Reservation Established?
The original reservation was in existence for less than three months of 1872 when other executive orders and agreements began to take portions of the reservation for public domain. Over a 10 year period the Colville Indian Reservation was reduced to its present size, less than half the original.
How Big Is The Colville Reservation?
The Colville Indian Reservation is 2,300 square miles-about 1.3 million acres. It is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
How Many Colville Are There Today?
More than 8,200 people are members of the Colville Confederated Tribes.
How Is The Reservation Governed Today?
Today’s Colvilles, an enterprising and progressive community of people, are a sovereign nation governed by their own administrative and judicial branches within the boundaries of the reservation. Leading the tribal membership is a 14-member Business Council elected from the four reservation districts of Omak, Nespelem, Keller and Inchelium.
Where Is The Tribal Government Located?
Tribal headquarters are located on the Colville Indian Agency campus near the town of Nespelem.
What Kind Of Businesses Are Operated By The Colville Tribes?
Timber and wood products are at the heart of the Colville Tribes multi-million dollar industries. Overseeing the $100 million in tribal business ventures on the reservation is the Colville Tribal Enterprise Corporation (CTEC). There are about 2,000 people employed on the reservation.
Alongside its timber operation, CTEC operates a sawmill near Omak, Washington, and a state-of-the-art wood treatment plant at Inchelium. The tribes also has its own nursery to replant and grow trees.
The tribal fish hatchery stocks all the lakes and streams in North Central Washington State.
What Are Some Of The Cultural And Religious Practices On The Reservation?
Proud of their heritage, the Indian culture and religions are very much alive and active on the Colville Reservation. There are the Seven Drums and the Indian Shaker religions as well as the Indian winter Chinook Dances, the annual spring thanksgiving Root Feasts, and the memorial giveaways in honor of the deceased.
Want to know more about the Native American history of Northeastern Washington? Throughout the site you'll see stories about the Native people of the state, but click on these links for more information.
Colville Native Americans
What Is The History Of The Native American People Of Northeastern Washington Region?
Sar-sarp-kin, Last Chief of the Sinlahekin Band
Indian Celebrations
The Coming of Chief Joseph
The Cariboo Trail
From Indian Chief To Farmer: Chief Tonasket
Okanogan County
The Mythical Legend of the Hee Hee Stone
