I found the article about the Chinook Indian Nation interesting and enlightening (“Unrecognized,” April 2021). I totally sympathize. We were thrown off our land 200 years ago, and we’re still trying to get it back. Of course, the usurpers claim it’s their land, but not only did they not even exist when we inhabited the area, their religion didn’t exist either.
The Duwamish Tribe has been trying to get recognized for just as long. Chief Seattle, after whom the largest city in the Northwest was named, was Duwamish, yet the federal government won’t recognize his tribe! It’s the same story — other tribes are still fighting for recognition.
Lynn Gottlieb
Seattle, Washington
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Unrecognized.
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