SUBMIT COMMENTS OPPOSING THE

COLVILLE TRIBE CASINO IN PASCO, WA

 

To all Yakama Nation Tribal Members,

On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the BIA is hosting a virtual public scoping meeting. Yakama Nation tribal members will have the opportunity to provide public comment on the Colville Tribe’s proposed plan to open a 184,200-square foot casino in Pasco, Washington – a city within the Yakama Nation’s Treaty Territory.

BIA requires that any person who wishes to participate and provide comment at this virtual public scoping hearing first register for the event at: https://colvilleeis.com/. 

The Yakama Nation Tribal Council encourages your participation in this process and calls on as many Yakama members as possible to attend this public scoping meeting. This is your opportunity to voice your concerns with the Colville Tribe’s attempt to lay its false claim to the Yakama Nation’s history, Treaty, lands, and people. This is your opportunity to voice your concerns with the social, economic, and environmental impacts that will result from the Colville Tribe’s proposed casino. This is your opportunity to Stand Up! for Yakama Nation’s sovereignty, its future, and its ability to support and care for its people.

In addition to any personal comments you want to share at the public scoping meeting, the Yakama Nation Tribal Council highlights the following points you may choose to raise:

  • The City of Pasco, WA is undisputedly within the Yakama Nation’s Treaty Territory, as outlined in Article I of the Treaty of 1855.
  • The Palouse Band was a signatory to the Treaty of 1855, a legal document signed by the tribes and bands that became known as the Yakama Nation. Pursuant to the Treaty, the United States recognizes that the Yakama Nation is the only legal representative of the Palouse Band. The Colville Tribe has no legal authority to represent the Palouse Band.
  • Revenues from Yakama Nation Legends Casino are the primary source of funding for tribal governmental functions, which provide critical services to Yakama members. A casino in Pasco would cause severe detrimental impact to Yakama Nation Legends Casino’s revenues, which in turn would impact the level of public and social services the Yakama Nation is able to provide its people.
  • The site of the proposed casino is nowhere close to the Colville Tribe, 165 miles south of its headquarters in Nespelem, or 125 miles south from the edge its Executive Order Reservation boundary. This distance demands scrutiny. Approval would establish a precedent, increasing the likelihood of other Tribes seeking the same treatment.
  • The Colville Tribe exaggerates its claim of “need” for its proposed casino in Pasco. The Colville Tribe already operates “3” casinos, which is more than any other Tribe in Washington.

Your collective support is needed! Yakama Nation is hosting a viewing session of the public scoping meeting at the Yakama Nation Theater located at 100 Spil Yi Loop. Your attendance and support is welcome and appreciated.

Generations before the advance of the modern world, the lands of the Yakama extended in all directions along the Cascade Mountain Range to the Columbia River and beyond. We considered it land given in trust by the Creator for the use of the living and a heritage to be held and protected for unborn generations.

Treaty of 1855

The Treaty between the United States of America and the Yakama Nation of Indians. Concluded at Camp Stevens, Walla Walla Valley

Honoring Our Veterans

The Yakama Nation Veterans Affairs program works to improve the physical, mental, and spiritual health and well-being of every Yakama Veteran. This is done through assisting with resources for the veteran and their family, including a range of counseling, outreach, and referral services. Our goal is to lower the number of homeless veterans through resource connections and to reinforce positive self-worth through positive activities and interactions.

Mt. Adams

Mount Adams is an impressive mountain that lies partly within the reservation. This mountain is sacred to the Yakama.

Celilo Falls

Celilo Falls, located on the Columbia river east of The Dalles, Oregon, was a well known trading area & sacred fishing grounds of our people. Celilo Falls was flooded in 1957 with the completion of the The Dalles Dam. The Federal Government’s decision to build the dam disregarded the ancient fishing grounds and the W’yam people’s opposition. Our museum recreated the ancient setting of Celilo Falls. We show a young man learning his lessons about the river from his father.

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