Essay --

Tribal Rights and Sovereignty of the Yakama Nation and Klamath Tribes Quinn Buchwald AP United States Government, 1st Period Ms. Peck December 17, 2013 The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation is a sovereign Native American tribal entity in Washington State. The tribe's reservation is located in southern Washington State and is east of the Cascade Mountains. The reservation is 2,185.94 square miles and has a population of over 30,000. The tribe itself has almost 11,000 enrolled members. The Yakama Tribe consists of multiple groups of Native Americans, including the Klikitat, Palus, Walla Walla, Wanapam, Wishram, and Yakama. These people have lived here for thousands of years and have developed their own very unique way of life and culture. They belong to a larger cultural group known as the Sahaptin people, who live throughout the Columbia River Basin and Plateau in central, eastern, and southern Washington State and in northern Oregon. The Yakama life style was dependant on their surroundings and environment. They heavily relied on wildlife, game, and fish for their sustenance, and where solely hunter-gatherer societ ies before European and American contact. Due to their close connection and reliance on the environment, the Yakama highly respected nature and were always aware of their impact upon it. They believe that everything has a purpose and an important place in the natural order. With the expansion the United States into the Pacific Northwest and the rapid encroachment of white settlers into their territory, the Yakama signed the "Treaty with the Yakima" with the United States government in 1855. The Yakama people were able to negotiate for many tribal rights due to their strategic and powerful po... ...es: Sovereignty, Ethics, and Data-Sharing Issues." Environmental Health Perspectives 120 (2011): 6-10. Print. The Klamath Tribes. The Klamath Tribes, 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. OFFICIAL SITE OF THE CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE YAKAMA NATION. Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, 2010. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. "A Short History of the Klamath Tribe." A Short History of the Klamath Tribe. The Klamath Tribes, 1985. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. United States. Department of the Interior. National Parks Service. Memorandum on Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal Governments. By William J. Clinton. National Parks Service, 4 May 1994. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. United States. Dept. of State. "Treaty with the Yakima, 1855." Yakama Nation Archives. Print. "YN CHC :: Yakama History." Yakamamuseum.com. Yakama Nation Museum and Cultural Center, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.