A so-called clerical error at the federal level has resulted in over 90,000 acres of land belonging to the Yakama Nation being transferred to the state of Washington, and the tribe is now demanding its return. This situation traces back to 1855, when Yakama Chief Kamiakin was coerced into signing away the lands of 14 tribal nations and bands in the Pacific Northwest—a decision made under the threat of violence against his people. Legend has it that in his anger, he bit through his lip while signing the treaty.
By agreeing to the treaty, Chief Kamiakin ceded more than 10 million acres in what is now Washington state. In exchange, the Yakama Nation was relegated to a reservation that is only one-tenth the size of their original territory, situated roughly 100 miles southeast of Seattle. For nearly 75 years, the treaty map was lost due to a federal clerk’s misfiling under “M” for Montana.
Nestled against the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range, the Yakama reservation covers over a million acres, but not all of it is owned by the tribe. The state of Washington is the largest non-tribal landowner within the reservation, possessing nearly 92,000 acres of state trust land, along with other types of land holdings…