The Chehalis Reservation is unusual in that it was created by executive order in 1864 rather than through a treaty process.1 Not having a more formal treaty relationship with the U.S. government has made the path of the Chehalis peoples more difficult than other recognized tribes.2 The term "Chehalis" (meaning People of the Sands) refers to two groups of peoples who spoke Salishan (referring language family of tribes living on and near the Salish Sea) and Quinalt languages called the Upper and Lower Chehalis who lived along the Chehalis and other rivers in the region. It is also unusual in that it is governed by the Chehalis Business Committee instead of a more conventional tribal council, although it serves similar functions.3 Despite the difficulties the tribes have faced, they continue to advocate for themselves and their sovereignty. It is one of nine confederated reservations in the state of Washington.
Below are resources from the tribes' own website.
1 Robert H. Ruby, John A. Brown, Cary C. Collins, A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest, third edition (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010), 56.
2 "People of the Sands," Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, accessed June 26, 2024, https://www.chehalistribe.org/our-story/people-of-the-sands/
3 Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation Constitution and Bylaws, art. 4, sec. 1 & art. 5, sec. 1, accessed June, 26, 2024, https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/ChehalisTribe/#!/ChehalisTribeCB.html#4.0
Chehalis Stories (eBook) by 
A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest by 
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