Baird pushing for recognition of Chinook tribe
Monday, June 9, 2003 8:51 AM PDT
By Sally Ousley
Printable version
E-mail this articleThe Chinook Indian tribe, declared officially extinct by the Bush Administration last summer, will get another a shot at winning federal recognition.
U.S. Rep Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, says he is drafting a bill to recognize the tribe. The bill would reverse last July's Interior Department decision to yank recognition the Clinton Administration granted in January 2000.
"It's a tragic commentary when we commemorate the Lewis and Clark expedition and the very tribe that helped them is not recognized by the government," Baird said.
The Chinook Indians helped the Corps of Discovery when it arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River in November 1805.
Official recognition makes a tribe eligible for federal money for schools, health care, social services, economic development and cultural activities.
"The timing is very important because we've been asked to co-host the Lewis and Clark signature event at the mouth of the Columbia River in November of 2005," said Chinook Tribal Chairman Gary Johnson. "We feel we should have equal status with the other tribes we invite."
The Chinooks have been seeking official recognition for more than 20 years. It's trouble stems in part from the failure of the tribe and U.S. government to adopt a treaty in the mid 19th century.
In withdrawing recognition, the Bush administration ruled that the tribe did not meet three of the seven criteria used by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs: It did not maintain continuous political control over its members; was no longer a distinct social community; and has not been identified as an "Indian entity" by outside observers on a continuous basis.
"I disagree with this administration," Baird said. "They (the tribe) meet the standards. There's no question that the Chinook lived in Southwest Washington. Lewis and Clark mentioned them in their journals and some treaties were negotiated using Chinook language. They predated Lewis and Clark, and they are still there."
Baird said getting the legislation through Congress will not be easy.
The Quinault tribe on the Olympic Peninsula has concerns that the Chinook recognition would mean a loss of land the Quinaults own now. Without federal recognition, the Chinooks can't claim any land within the Quinault reservation.
Quinault executive director Pearl Capoeman-Baller said that her tribe objects to Chinook claims on the reservation. "The bottom line for the Quinault is that we govern the reservation and signed the treaty and we have hunting and fishing rights and we have the voting rights on the reservation."
Johnson said the best avenue for the Chinooks to gain recognition is through Congress. He said going through federal court would mean hundred of thousands of dollars and five to six years.
Johnson said Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell and Sen. Patty Murray also are supporting the tribe's cause
"We represent the homeland Chinook who stayed on the Columbia River or Willapa Bay and we're not interested in what's going on north of us," he said. "We're interested in a land base and tribal survival along the Columbia River and Willapa Bay."
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