Cowlitz Indians end 25-year struggle to gain federal recognition

John Hughes

Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2000 | 9:02 a.m.

WASHINGTON - The Cowlitz Indians of southwestern Washington state embraced federal leaders and tearfully recalled deceased elders Monday as they ended a 25-year struggle to become a federally recognized tribe.

The new status, which takes effect in three months if no appeals are filed, would allow the Cowlitz to seek the placement of land into a federal trust and then use the land to launch business ventures such as casinos. They also would be eligible for federal aid in areas such as health care and education.

Tribal leaders who spoke at an emotional ceremony at the Interior Department said recognition came through the patience of tribal members and the efforts of elders who helped begin the push for recognition in 1975 but who have since died.

"They're all up there looking, they're watching," tribal chairman John Barnett said. "They're with us."

Kevin Gover, who heads Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, thanked tribal members for their perseverance and welcomed them to the family of 557 tribes who have a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

"We wish things were done faster," Gover said. "We're sorry it took so long."

Federal procedures, court challenges and tribal delays caused the recognition process to drag on so long, said Lee Fleming, who heads Interior's branch of acknowledgment research.

But the long wait seemed to make the recognition sweeter. About 40 tribal members gathered around a large table for the ceremony, many using cameras to capture the moment, others wearing brightly colored native garb and some holding tribal photographs and other heirlooms.

Roy Wilson, the tribal shaman, waved an eagle feather in a blessing and chanted "good it is" in an inter-tribal language as Gover signed some recognition documents.

Afterward, the crowd hollered and clapped, and tribal leaders embraced the Interior officials and gave them gifts such as a giant Valentine's Day card, blankets and coffee mugs.

"It's hard to put into words the feelings of our people," Barnett said.

The tribe, based in Longview, Wash., has about 1,500 members, according to Interior officials, but tribal leaders place their membership at around 2,200.

Cowlitz members took part in the Chehalis River Treaty negotiations with Gov. Isaac Ingalls Stephens in 1855 but refused to sign the proposed treaty because they did not agree to be transferred away from their original territory, a 60-mile area that went from the source of the Cowlitz River to the river's mouth.

As a recognized tribe, the Cowlitz would likely try to place several land areas into federal trust rather than have a single, large reservation, Barnett said before the ceremony.

Land areas the tribe could seek to place into a trust would be in the traditional range of the Cowlitz, which includes Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania and Thurston counties in Washington state, he said.

Wilson, who also chairs the tribal council, said tribal leaders' top priorities are improving health care and education.

As for starting a casino, Wilson said some tribal members support the idea and others oppose it.