Chinook Indian Nation Vice Chairman and Vancouver resident Sam Robinson, center, drums and sings during a rally in favor of federal recognition for the tribe Oct. 7 at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Lack of federal recognition deprives Chinook people of vital resources, Robinson and other tribal members argued during the rally, and continues a long-standing historical injustice that's tantamount to genocide. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
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Denied, dispersed, disadvantaged: Chinook tribe pursues centuries-old fight for federal recognition
When
Sam Robinson arrives at a public event in his distinctive cone-shaped
Chinook hat to sing, play his drum and tell stories, what seems like a
cultural, broadly spiritual moment is something else too: a political
protest.
Vancouver resident Robinson, 66, is vice chairman of the Chinook Indian Nation.
Soft-spoken yet certain, Robinson’s frequent personal appearances —
whether in traditional tribal regalia or a #ChinookJustice T-shirt — aim
to reunify and strengthen a tribe that’s been denied, disadvantaged and
dispersed by government repression and intertribal competition for
close to two centuries.
The ruinous results are hidden in plain sight, tribal members like
Robinson argued while observing Indigenous Peoples Day in early October.
More than 100 Chinook tribal members and allies gathered outside the
Marshall House on Vancouver’s Officers Row to press Congress to pass the
Chinook Restoration Act, a law that would bestow federal recognition
and start the process of establishing a Chinook reservation.
Without federal recognition, the approximately 3,000 members of the
Chinook Indian Nation enjoy no benefits or legal protections as American
Indians — no support for housing, child welfare, health care, mental
health and addiction treatment, college scholarship funds and even
coastal tsunami infrastructure upgrades.
Lack of federal recognition has deprived the Chinook of tribal
pandemic assistance, COVID-19 tests and vaccines offered under the CARES
(Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act of 2020. At the
Vancouver rally, Chinook tribal Chairman Tony Johnson called that
nothing less than genocide.
What’s especially galling, Johnson said, is that the Chinook
tribe achieved federal recognition — for 18 months in 2001 and 2002 —
only to have it reversed again. That’s the latest and most hurtful
chapter in a long history of broken promises, "shelved” treaties and
unfair, inconsistent legal decisions, Johnson said.
After decades of delay and indecision, the federal government has
recently made long-sought strides in recognizing and supporting no fewer
than 574 tribes across the U.S., Johnson said. But not the Chinook.
In recent years, the Chinook have received lukewarm, symbolic support
but no real action from powerful politicians who could easily break the
logjam, Robinson and Johnson both said.
The Columbian contacted both Washington senators about federal
recognition for the Chinook tribe. Cantwell did not respond by press
time. A statement from Sen. Patty Murray’s office said she "understands
just how important Tribal recognition efforts are and how critical it is
that all voices involved be heard. She will continue to do her best to
serve as a voice in the United States Senate for Washington’s Tribal
governments and Tribal people.”
Former Democratic 3rd District U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, a long-standing
champion of Chinook recognition, fears that Republican control of the
House of Representatives in the next session of Congress may well stymie
the effort yet again.
