Colville
The Colville are a significant group within the Salishan language family, residing in the region between Kettle Falls and the Spokane River in eastern Washington. Their language is closely related to that of the Okanagan tribe. The name "Colville" is derived from a Hudson's Bay Company fort located near their traditional villages, which varied in size. The Colville people traditionally engaged in hunting and fishing, with salmon being a primary food source, and they gathered roots and berries, necessitating seasonal migrations for sustenance. They did not practice agriculture and were adept at using horses to assist in their movements for food.
Historically, the Colville enjoyed relatively peaceful interactions with neighboring tribes, with ample food resources minimizing territorial conflicts. They were first documented by American explorers Lewis and Clark in 1806. In 1872, the Colville Reservation was established, originally spanning 2.9 million acres, although this has since been reduced to approximately 1.4 million acres as of 2023. Today, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation includes members from twelve different bands and operates various industries, including gaming, recreation, tourism, retail, and construction through the Colville Tribal Federal Corporation (CTFC).
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Colville
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Plateau
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Salishan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Washington State
- POPULATION SIZE: 7,259 (US Census Bureau)
The Colville, one of the largest branches of the Salishan language family, lived between Kettle Falls and the Spokane River in eastern Washington. They spoke the same language as another Salishan tribe, the Okanagan. “Colville” is the name of the fort of the Hudson’s Bay Company near which they lived, in villages of varying size. Because they relied on hunting and fishing—salmon was a chief staple of their diet—as well as on gathering roots and berries, they were forced to move throughout the year to find food in different seasons. This prevented the villages from growing and developing as political or social centers. The Colville do not seem to have relied on agriculture. They were skilled with horses and used them in their travels seeking food. Generally, Salishan tribes enjoyed relatively peaceful lives. They were involved in no protracted struggles with their neighbors; there seemed to have been enough food to go around, so no major disputes arose over hunting territory. The American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark encountered the Colville in 1806. In 1872 the Colville Reservation was established by President Ulysses S. Grant in Washington on 2.9 million acres and was allotted to twelve bands, including the Colville. Some of that land was later allotted to White settlers, and within twenty-years the reservation had been reduced to 1.4 million acres. As of 2025 the reservation was still this size. In 2021, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation celebrated the return of the Figlenski Ranch in Okanogan County, which was part of their original territory. The area consists of 9,243 acres.
The Colville Tribal Federal Corporation (CTFC), still made up of twelve tribes, employs hundreds of people and oversees industries that include gaming, recreation and tourism, retail, and construction.
Bibliography
Ackerman, Lillian A. A Necessary Balance: Gender and Power among Indians of the Columbia Plateau. Norman: U of Oklahoma P, 2003. Print.
Arnold, Laurie. Bartering with the Bones of Their Dead: The Colville Confederated Tribes and Termination. Seattle: U of Washington P, 2012. Print.
Colville Tribes, www.colvilletribes.com/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Johansen, Bruce E., and Barry Pritzker. Encyclopedia of American Indian History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.
Joseph, Andrew. The Country of Sen-om-tuse (Sn̉amtus): Growing Up the Traditional Colville-Okanogan Way. Penticton: Theytus, 2013. Print.
Oliver, Owen L. "Significant Washington Land Returned to the Colville Tribe, Its Original Stewards." Nature Conservancy, 3 May 2022, www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/washington/stories-in-washington/land-back-figlenski-ranch-colville-tribe/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Ruby, Robert H., John A. Brown, and Cary C. Collins. A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. 3rd ed. Norman: U of Oklahoma P, 2010. Print.