Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually Reservation

The Nisqually Indian Tribe of the Nisqually Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Nisqually people. They are a Coast Salish people of Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Their tribe is located in the State of Washington.

Some of the people of Nisqually descent are enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation but neither tribe allows a Nisqually to be enrolled in both tribes at the same time.

Reservation

The Nisqually Reservation is 1,000 acres (400 ha) large and located in Thurston County, Washington, 15 miles (24 km) east of Olympia. All of the current reservation land was acquired by the tribe in the last 25 years.

The reservation was established by the Treaty of Medicine Creek of 1854. Originally 5,105 acres, the reservation was mostly east of the Nisqually River in Pierce County, Washington. The tribal lands were broken into individual allotments in 1884. In 1917, Pierce County, through the process of condemnation proceedings (eminent domain), took 3,740 acres (1,510 ha) for the Fort Lewis Military Reserve.

Government

The Nisqually Indian Tribe is headquartered in Olympia, Washington. It ratified its constitution and bylaws on September 9, 1946. These were amended on October 28, 1994. The tribe is governed by a seven-member, democratically elected General Council. The current tribal administration is as follows:

Chairman: Ken Choke
Vice Chairman: Antonette Squally
Secretary: Jackie Whittington
Treasurer: Norine Wells
Fifth Council Member: Chris Olin
Sixth Council Member: Guido Levy Jr.
Seventh Council Member: Leighanna Scott

Language

English is commonly spoken by the tribe. Its traditional language is the Nisqually language, which is a Southern Puget Sound Salish language.

Economic development

The Nisqually Indian Tribe owns and operates Red Wind Casino, Blue Camas Buffet, Squalli-Absch Grille, The Medicine Creek Deli, and Pealo's Landing.

In 2017, the tribe began acquiring parcels of vacant land in northern Lacey for a future commercial development. The 260-acre (110 ha) property was transferred to the Nisqually Indian Tribe in 2020 and is planned to be used for a new casino, convention center, and entertainment district named Quiemuth Village. The site is north of Interstate 5 and was originally intended for a mixed-use development that only had one completed store: a branch of the Cabela's franchise.