Colville Indian Reservation

Colville Indian Reservation
Outline of the Colville Reservation
Outline of the Colville Reservation
TribeConfederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyOkanogan County, Washington and Ferry County, Washington
HeadquartersNespelem
Area
 • Total11,430 km2 (4,410 sq mi)
WebsiteColville Tribes

The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the Northwestern United States, in north central Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which are federally recognized.

Established in 1872, the reservation currently consists of 2,825,000 acres (4,410 sq mi; 11,430 km2),[1] located primarily in the southeastern section of Okanogan County and the southern half of Ferry County. It also includes other pieces of trust land in eastern Washington, including in Chelan County, just to the northwest of the city of Chelan. The reservation's name is adapted from that of Fort Colville, which was named by British colonists for Andrew Colville, a London governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.

The Confederated Tribes have 8,700 descendants from twelve aboriginal tribes. The tribes are known in English as: the Colville, Nespelem, Sanpoil, Lakes (after the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, or Sinixt), Palus, Wenatchi, Chelan, Entiat, Methow, southern Okanagan, Sinkiuse-Columbia, and Nez Perce of Chief Joseph's Band. Some members of the Spokane tribe also settled the Colville reservation after it was established.

The most common of the indigenous languages spoken on the reservation is Colville-Okanagan, a Salishan language. Other tribes speak other Salishan languages, with the exception of the Nez Perce and Palus, who speak Sahaptian languages.

  1. ^ "History Of The Colvilles". The Confederated Tribes Of The Colville Reservation. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.