07/05/2002

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Bush administration has stripped Washington state's Chinook Tribe of federal recognition, reversing a Clinton administration decision and possibly setting up a federal court battle.

Tribal officials said the Interior Department looked at the same evidence the Clinton officials used to grant recognition in January 2001.

Friday's ruling means the Chinooks, based in Chinook, Wash., are not recognized as a sovereign nation.

Federal recognition makes tribes eligible for federal benefits and programs. Recognition could have meant a chance for the Chinooks to build casinos on their land.

"It's a kick in the teeth," said Dennis Whittlesey, a lawyer for the Chinooks here.

Members of the tribe helped Lewis and Clark expedition members through their winter on the Northwest coast nearly 200 years ago.

The Chinooks were recognized until about 30 years ago and have been fighting to regain that status since the early 1980s.

Tribal officials will meet as early as Monday to determine the best way to regain recognition, tribal Chairman Gary C. Johnson said. One option would be to file suit against the U.S. government.

Neal A. McCaleb, the Interior Department's assistant secretary of Indian affairs, issued a statement Friday saying the Chinooks had failed to demonstrate three of the seven criteria required to become an acknowledged tribe.

The Chinooks did not show they have maintained political influence over members since historical times, that a predominant portion of their members comprise a distinct social community, or that they have been identified historically as an Indian entity by outside observers, McCaleb said.

The Chinooks were formally recognized in the last days of the Clinton administration. Kevin Gover, an Indian affairs official in the Department of Interior, re-established the Chinook's tribal status in January 2001. His decision, which went against his staff's recommendation, was called into question when he went to work as a lobbyist for the tribe.

In April 2001, the Quinault Indian Nation appealed Gover's ruling before the Department of Interior's Board of Indian Appeals.

The Quinaults, historical enemies of the Chinooks, contended the Chinooks had ceased to exist as a tribe.

Whittlesey said Friday's decision followed a recent Bush administration ruling that the Duwamish Tribe - the tribe of the legendary Chief Seattle - was extinct.

"In the last (few) weeks, we've seen two final decisions reversed," he said.

" ... They've chosen to accept a different analysis (of the facts) so they could reverse this decision, notwithstanding the fact that the previous administration's analysis was final and was published in the Federal Register."