US and state acknowledge that 1980 agreement was ‘biased and distorted’ against Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Drumming made the floor vibrate and singing filled the conference room of the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City, on the Oregon coast, as hundreds in tribal regalia danced in a circle.

For the last 47 years, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians have held an annual powwow to celebrate regaining federal recognition. This month’s event, however, was especially significant: it came just two weeks after a federal court lifted restrictions on the tribe’s rights to hunt, fish and gather – restrictions tribal leaders had opposed for decades.