WashingtonWatch.com - H.R. 3084, The Chinook Nation Restoration Act

Comment by Carol Olden (November 25, 2009, 01:00:00)

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

The sad part about the enrollment issue is that my family members, as descendants of Louise Tawakon, listed as the daughter of Thomas Tawakon Jr, and his wife Francois Walla Walla, who along with her brother Pierre, the Tawakons had before they were married in the Catholic Church in Dayton, OR appear to be the children of Louise Chinook, who died the same year that the Tawakons were married as was buried at Fort Vancouver, so they were adopted children in that scenario, but a differet type of adoption from adopting inlaws into the tribe. Whatever the case, honesty would have been best instead of robbing our family members or asking us to donate our time and effort into helping out the Lower Chinook Tribe as good intent failed....

Comment by Carol Olden (November 24, 2009, 01:00:00)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

The Chinook were told by the US govt.they would have to change their enrollment rules to reflect their acual practice of enrolling sister-in-laws like Rose La Frambois and her descendants,otherwise they wouldn't be enrollable in their tribe.Rose LaFrabois lived in Cathlamet,home of the Wahkiakums and their chief Tim Tarabochia who asked me to write the letter of support. In the meantime my family heirlooms were looted and my father ,a Yakama Tribal member,eventually deceased by the same group of people who evidently had been arrested for drug charges in Pacific County that thought by being listed as the descendants of Suzzanne Tawakon and Amable Petit, even though they were not our relatives as Tawakons, they could steal our family heirlooms and award themselves the same,and claim they had the right to our fishing rights as Cascades in the Columbia River Gorge, even though that is not Lower Chinook territory,after robbing my late father of his salmon dipnets as a traditional fisherman....

Comment by Carol Olden (November 24, 2009, 01:00:00)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

In summary i believe that somewhere along the line the meaning of Federal recognition was misunderstood by the Lower Chinook Nation and the fact that being honest about who they consider tribal members, including inlaws, would have been better than trying to trick well-intended persons like my family out of their identities and property in the hopes that the US govt. wouldn't discover the discrepancy, as it did. Being restored after being Federally recognized then derecognized is like being in terminated status like the Siletz, who when restored did not get back their hunting and fishing rights. The Lower Chinook Nation should not be in the same situation,so their full hunting and fishing rights established commensurate with other Federally recognized tribes should be returned. Likewise their situation should not deny full treaty rights to Upper Chinooks enrolled in Federally recognized tribes who have established fishing stations and hunting rights in their ancestral locations....

Comment by Carol Olden (November 23, 2009, 01:00:00)

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

My letter for Federal recognition of the Chinook Indian Nation sent on August 7, 2000 to Holly Reckord,Branch of Acknowledgement, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington . D.C.; outlined who my family members were and that we were always identified as Chinook, as our enrollment records from the Yakama Nation list us as Cascade Chinook, an Upper Chinook group from the now Bonnville Dam area. After Federal recognition came reversal from the Federal government that the persons enrolled in the Chinook Indian Nation living in Bay Center could not trace their ancestry back to the tribes from Ilwaco or Dahlia removed to Bay Center. 238 people were listed as being descendants of Suzanne Tawakon and Amable Petit,sister of Thomas Tawakon Jr,my ancestor, who were actually descendants of Rose LaFrambois, a sister in law of the Scarborough family and not Chinook, but Sioux, Cayuse, and French. This shouldn't be grounds for reversing recognition to cheat the Chinook out of hunting and fishing rights....

Comment by Carol Olden (November 20, 2009, 01:00:00)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

I was asked in 1997 to write a letter of support for the Lower Chinook Nation to obtain Federal recognition, before I was aware of the situation regarding adopting in of inlaws and giving them my family's identities, so I have some concern about enrollment procedures. The current bill is not Federal recognition as it denies the Lower Chinook Nation the Boldt decision fishing rights which has stood for over 30 years in Federal Court, as well as hunting rights,trapping rights, NAGPRA, aboriginal title to land ,NAGPRA, and many other rights which all Federally recognized tribes have. As such it is unconstitutional. I personally would not have voted for fishing only twice a year for ceremonial purposes or funerals instead of a share of fish under the Boldt decision and have ceremonial fisheries managed by the WA state Dept of Fisheries instead of the tribal fishery program and the allocation taken from the state's recreational and commercial fishing allocation for nontribal members....

Comment by Reverend Josh Taylor (November 12, 2009, 01:00:00)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Bigman is my Native American name and I support this bill. But please exclude casinos from this bill because it's a sin of greed. We must give our respects to the Native Americans and their ancestors. Some of them have even converted to Christianity....

Comment by Sam Robinson (November 2, 2009, 01:00:00)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

Please support the Chinook Restoration Bill HR3084. There has been three generations working on Chinook Federal Recognition. We are fast loosing those from the second generation.It is time to correct this injustice and restore status to once was the biggest Tribe in North America. I strongly feel that our surrounding communities are ready as well!...

Comment by Kathy Henry (October 1, 2009, 01:00:00)

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The Chinook people have diligently tried to preserve their culture and their history. They have had managed to survive without the any of the support which might have come with federal recognition. Non-recognition put the Chinook Tribe at a distinct disadvantage in their efforts to preserve their culture. Is this right, is it fair? I do not think it is and I hope you agree and vote for the long-overdue recognition of the Chinook Tribe....

Comment by victorlahr (September 18, 2009, 01:00:00)

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please support this bill.Let's get it done!It's the right thing to do!Come on Congress the Chinook have waited to long for this,right the wrong....

Comment by melinda jones (September 15, 2009, 01:00:00)

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

please realize that our people still exist and always have we deserve whats owed to us my great grandmother sara ero fought for this as well as my father charles jones waiting for this and now me and my two children and it will just go down the kine but we will still be here so do whats right...

Revision by webmaster (September 14, 2009, 01:00:00)

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

H.R. 3084 would restore Federal recognition to the Chinook Nation.

Detailed Summary

Chinook Nation Restoration Act - Extends federal recognition to the Chinook Indian Nation. Makes the Chinook Tribe and its members eligible for all services and benefits provided by the government to federally recognized tribes regardless of the existence of a reservation or the location of residence of any member on or near any Indian reservation. Designates specified counties in Washington and Oregon as the Tribe's service area for delivery of federal services to enrolled members.

Requires the Tribe to: (1) submit to the Secretary of the Interior a membership roll; and (2) conduct, by secret ballot, an election to adopt a constitution and bylaws. Directs the Secretary: (1) if the Tribe transfers all rights to land to the Secretary, to take such land in trust for the Tribe's benefit, subject to restrictions; (2) to negotiate with the tribal governing body regarding establishing a reservation; and (3) to develop a plan for doing so.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) notify and consult with all appropriate state officials and owners of land adjacent to those considered for the proposed reservation; and (2) provide complete information on the proposed plan to such officials. Requires submission of the plan to Congress upon approval by the tribal governing body.

Requires any real property transferred by the Tribe or any member to the Secretary to be held in the name of the United States for the Tribe's benefit. Prohibits the exercise of eminent domain for purposes of acquiring lands for the Tribe's benefit.

Allows and regulates ceremonial hunting and fishing in specified Washington counties.

Status of the Legislation

Latest Major Action: 7/15/2009: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee Hearings Held.

Points in Favor

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Points Against

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Comment by Julie Cartwright (July 28, 2009, 01:00:00)

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please support this bill as it is the right thing to do. Our people have waited a very long time for this. Our Elders are dying and we lack good healthcare How many decades have we waited for our tribe to be a federally recognized tribe---The time is now Please support this bill as it is the right thing to do. Our people have waited a very long time for this. Our Elders are dying and we lack good healthcare How many decades have we waited for our tribe to be a federally recognized tribe---The time is now...

Comment by John Mail (July 20, 2009, 01:00:00)

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

This Bill is illegal, unethical and immoral. It does NOTHING to honor my people. It strips us of our Indigenous rights and treats us as Children to a Federal Government that has done nothing to ensure us of a survival of our heritage. It strips our lands away from us, denies us our hunting and fishing rights and was "agreed" to by ONE tribe out of the 13 that constitute our Nation. It is an abomination and nothing more than ethnic cleansing, homogenizing our diversified cultural traditions to one, take it or leave it, future. This is a bad bill which honorable people should neither endorse nor sign. Read it, see what we are supposedly "willingly" giving up! What Indian would willingly trade their heritage for such a paltry return? See my letter at http://northcoastoregon.com. I am the great-grandson of Chief George Charley, last of the Chief's on the lower Columbia to challenge the US government to fish our traditional grounds. This bill does nothing to honor him or his memory....

Comment by Mary Marczak (July 19, 2009, 01:00:00)

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please vote yes. Jean and Walt expressed my feelings exactly....

Comment by Marlene Hanson (July 18, 2009, 01:00:00)

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please vote yeas on this Chinook Restoration Bill...It has been a long time coming and please remember that the Chinooks assisted Lewis and Clark on their arrival at the mouth of the Columbia Ricer!...

Revision by webmaster (July 16, 2009, 01:00:00)

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

H.R. 3084 would restore Federal recognition to the Chinook Nation.

Detailed Summary

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Status of the Legislation

Latest Major Action: 7/15/2009: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee Hearings Held.

Points in Favor

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Points Against

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Comment by Phillip J Elliott (July 15, 2009, 01:00:00)

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please make HISTORY by voting YES to the Chinook Nation Restoration. It will help right a wrong done many years ago and to the present....

Comment by Bill Elliott (July 15, 2009, 01:00:00)

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please vote Yes on the Chinook Nation Restoration we have been waiting years it is the right thing to do let us get on with our lives. Thank You...

Comment by Jean and Walt Wakefield (July 15, 2009, 01:00:00)

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The Chinook Nation, long recognized and respected by historians, Pacific Northwest residents, visitors to the region, and even by government in a variety of ways, justly deserves the formal recognition that this bill would belatedly provide....

Status as of July 15, 2009

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

7/15/2009: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee Hearings Held.

Comment by Kate Elliott (July 14, 2009, 01:00:00)

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please vote yes and support the Restoration of the Chinook Nation. This is a correction to US policy long overdue....

Comment by Amber Myers (July 9, 2009, 01:00:00)

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Now is the time to make things right! Support the Chinook Nation with recognition! We have been waiting for this for a long time! Support us with a yes vote!!...

Comment by Alex Myers (July 9, 2009, 01:00:00)

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please support the Chinook Nation! Pass this bill!...

Comment by Ben Myers (July 9, 2009, 01:00:00)

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Please pass this bill! It is the right thing to do!! Show your support for the Chinook Nation with a yes vote!!...

Comment by Linda Gilbert (July 3, 2009, 01:00:00)

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT

I strongly feel that Bill H.B. 2576 should be restored. We are very hurt that our recognition was given to us, then taken away. We are still here, and we are still waiting. What do we tell our children? These children work very hard making their own canoe paddles they harvest grass from the water and learn to cure them. They make baskets,hats and many other things. We have a plank house where we celebrate Winter Gathering. We've invited other tribes from around the area. they recognize us, why don't you...