Tribal Nations

Tribes and Native Americans shape the Columbia River basin's past, present, and future.

Columbia Riverkeeper works in solidarity with many Tribal Nations. We encourage you to learn about the rich, diverse cultures of Columbia Basin Tribal people, as well as their sovereignty and governments, in their own words. 

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s (CRITFC) website is a great starting point. CRITFC provides in-depth information on the four Columbia Plateau treaty tribes: the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation

The Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT) website is another valuable resource. UCUT’s website explains how the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and the Spokane Tribe of Indians are promoting fish, water, wildlife, diverse habitat, and Indian culture in the Northwest.  

You can learn more from the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ANTI), an organization that represents 57 tribal governments in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Northern California, Southeast Alaska, and Western Montana. ATNI is an organization composed of the people it is meant to serve—the Indian peoples.

To learn about Columbia Basin First Nations, visit the Canadian Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fisheries Commission’s website. The Canadian Columbia River Inter-tribal Fisheries Commission was formed by First Nations of the Columbia Basin to restore salmon to their historic range in Canada. 

WATCH: Columbia Riverkeeper works in solidarity with Tribal Nations on cleanup of the most toxic place in America: the Hanford Nuclear Site. See firsthand why Hanford is a place worth fighting for:

To read more about our work with tribes, read former Executive Director Brett VandenHeuvel’s article, Respecting Sovereignty: Lessons from working with tribes to protect clean water.