In 1855, during a time when the maps of the United States were just beginning to stabilize, Chief Kamiakin of the Yakama, faced with unimaginable pressures, ceded over 10 million acres of land to the State of Washington. This treaty, signed under dramatic circumstances, significantly reduced the ancestral territory of the Yakama Nation to a much smaller reservation. An administrative error later misplaced the treaty map under incorrect classification, leading to further dispossession. Nearly 90,000 acres, originally intended to remain under Yakama control, were unjustly reassigned to the State of Washington. This historical injustice has left indelible marks on the landscape and continues to weigh on the Yakama Nation’s efforts to reclaim its legitimate lands.
In 1855, a treaty forced Yakama Chief Kamiakin to cede over 10 million acres of ancestral land in the Pacific Northwest. In return, the Yakama Nation received a drastically reduced reservation. However, an error in the mapping classification allowed the State of Washington to claim vast stretches, including areas within the reservation land. Nearly 140,000 additional acres were extracted through incorrect maps by federal and legal agents. This historical injustice is now being contested, with the Yakama Nation fighting to reclaim its lands, a process complicated by years of state and private possession.
A bureaucratic error that cost land to the Yakama Nation
In 1855, Yakama Chief Kamiakin was compelled to sign a treaty that ceded over ten million acres of their ancestral lands in what is now the State of Washington. This bitter defeat left the Yakama with only a drastically reduced reservation. The frustration that arose at this time still lingers today, as a misclassification transferred Yakama lands into the hands of the State. A routine check by an inattentive official nearly erased the map of the original reservation. A classification error has caused lasting harm for the Yakama Nation.
Economic and environmental consequences
With over 90,000 acres now in the hands of the State, the economic and environmental implications are significant. The stolen lands are used to generate revenue for state institutions, operating as a sort of trust fund susceptible to exploiting resources like timber and minerals, often at the expense of the environment. State management emphasizes immediate profits rather than the long-term health of ecosystems, leading to more aggressive logging practices. For the Yakama Nation, the land is more than a source of wealth; it embodies their cultural and spiritual heritage.
The fight for land recovery
Members of the Yakama Nation, like Phil Rigdon, have been tirelessly working for twenty years to recover their lands. Many tribe members know the painful history of the treaty signing, a memory passed down from generation to generation. Their battle is not only legal but also communal, involving an emotional and spiritual appeal at every step. The tribe holds hope by employing legal and human strategies to assert their land rights. They passionately engage in environmental regeneration and ensure the preservation of their culture and traditions.
