Our Region, Our Responsibility: Recognize the Chinook Nation

As an Oregon constituent, I’m writing to urge you to support federal recognition for the Chinook Indian Nation—a tribal nation with deep historic and cultural ties to the Columbia River region and the Pacific Northwest. The Chinook people are indigenous to the Columbia River, including areas that now form Oregon’s northern boundary, and their history and presence are inseparable from the identity and development of our region. Oregon has a responsibility to acknowledge and support the Indigenous nations whose homelands shaped our state. The Chinook Nation has long met the core criteria for federal acknowledgment, and its recognition was granted in 2001 before being abruptly rescinded. That reversal remains highly unusual and raises serious concerns about fairness and consistency in the federal recognition process administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This is not a new or unresolved case—it is a well-documented, decades-long effort that has already undergone extensive review. Continued denial of recognition undermines trust in federal processes and delays access to essential services, sovereignty protections, and cultural preservation for the Chinook people. As representatives of the Pacific Northwest, you are uniquely positioned to help resolve this long-standing issue. I respectfully urge you to support legislative or administrative action to restore federal recognition to the Chinook Nation and to advocate for a fair and timely resolution with the Department of the Interior. This is a matter of regional responsibility, governmental integrity, and basic fairness. It is time to bring this issue to a close. Thank you for your service and your attention to this important issue.