The Nix-yá-wii Governance Center at Whitehorse on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. (Oregon State Archives Photo)
Address: 46411 Ti’ mine Way, Pendleton 97801
Phone: 541-276-3165
About
Treaty Date: June 9, 1855; 12 Stat. 945
Number of Members: 3,016
Land Base Acreage: 172,000 acres
Number of people employed by the Tribes: 1,645
Economy
Prior to the 1855 Treaty, the tribes’ economy consisted of intertribal trade, trade with fur companies, hunting, fishing and livestock. Today, the economy includes agriculture, livestock, tourism, a travel plaza, grain elevator, the Wildhorse Resort (casino, hotel, RV Park, golf course), Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Cayuse Technologies, and Coyote Business Park, a 520-acre commercial and light industrial business development on the Interstate 84 Highway. The reservation is also home to the Umatilla National Forest Supervisor’s Office.
Points of Interest
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Wildhorse Resort & Casino, Wildhorse Golf Course, Nix-yá-wii Warriors Memorial, Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, Indian Lake Recreation Area, seasonal upland gamebird and turkey hunting
History and Culture
Three tribes make up the CTUIR: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla. They have lived on the Columbia River Plateau for over 10,000 years, an area of about 6.4 million acres in what is now northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. In 1855, the tribes and the United States government negotiated a treaty in which the tribes ceded 6.4 million acres, while reserving a section of land for their exclusive use in the form of a reservation. The CTUIR reserved rights in the treaty, including fishing and hunting rights and the right to gather traditional foods and medicines within the ceded areas.
The traditional religion of the tribes is called “Washat” or “Seven Drums.” Native languages are still spoken, and a language preservation program is helping to re-establish the languages.
Tribal Court
Tribal Judge William Johnson, 46411 Ti’mine Way, Pendleton 97801; 541-276-2046
Tribal Council
2018–2020: Chairman Gary Burke, General Council Chair Willie Sigo, IV, Vice-Chair Jeremy Wolf, Treasurer Doris Wheeler, Secretary N. Kat Brigham, Members at Large: Aaron Ashley, Sally Kosey, Rosenda Shippentower and Woodrow Star