Colville are a Native American people of north central Washington state. Today, the term Colville is used to describe the collection of 12 Native American bands that make up the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The bands are the Chelan, Colville, Entiat, Arrow Lakes, Methow, Moses-Columbia, Nespelem, Nez Perce , Palus, Sanpoil, Wenatchi (also spelled Wenatchee), and Okanogan. Historically, these groups lived on the lands that today make up the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington or on homelands across the Columbia River Plateau. Many of these groups shared kinship ties across bands.
Ancestors of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have lived in the region for thousands of years. Until the mid-1800’s, Colville bands lived by hunting and fishing and gathering edible plants. They moved often from spring through fall and settled in camps during winter. Neighboring groups of Colville seasonally gathered to fish and to collect edible roots. Celebrations were held during these gatherings, which served to reinforce community connections.
The Colville Indian Reservation was created by an executive order from President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. As American settlers moved into the region, other bands joined the reservation and established more permanent ties there. A band of Nez Perce led by the famous Chief Joseph joined the reservation in 1885.
Today, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are governed by a tribal constitution adopted in 1938. The Colville elect a tribal council from the reservation’s four districts. About half of the nearly 10,000 enrolled tribal members live on the reservation. Many others live in nearby towns. Several notable leaders belonged to the Colville Confederated Tribes. These include the author and political leader Mourning Dove, also known as Christine Quintasket, and the political leader Lucy Covington. Two Colville members, Frank George and George Friedlander, were among the original founders of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) in 1953. The ATNI is an organization dedicated to tribal sovereignty and self-determination.
In 2015, scientists analyzed genetic (hereditary) material from a skeleton known as Kennewick Man . Scientists have determined that the remains are at least 9,000 years old. The analysis revealed a relationship to the Colville, who refer to the remains as the “Ancient One.”
