Image credit: Eilis O Neill
Stay tuned in to our local news coverage: Listen to 90.7 WMFE on your FM or HD radio, the WMFE mobile app or your smart speaker say “Alexa, play NPR” and you’ll be connected.
The Chinook Indian Nation has about 3,000 members who mostly live near the mouth of the Columbia River in southwest Washington. But they’re not on the list of federally recognized tribes so they get nothing from the Indian Health Service.
“We have all the problems of Indian Country, but no means of dealing with it,” Chinook chair Tony Johnson says. Without recognition, they get no reservation, no housing allowance, no clinics.
Eilis O Neill/KUOW
toggle caption Eilis O Neill/KUOW
Tony Johnson is chair of the Chinook Indian Nation, a federally unrecognized tribe. He stands on a Willapa Bay, Wash. beach, where he got married and not far from where his ancestors lived. Eilis O Neill/KUOW
The Chinook Indian Nation has about 3,000 members who mostly live near the mouth of the Columbia River in southwest Washington. But they re not on the list of federally recognized tribes so they get nothing from the Indian Health Service. We have all the problems of Indian country, but no means of dealing with it, Chinook chair Tony Johnson says. Without recognition, they get no reservation, no housing allowance, no clinics.
Unrecognized Tribes Struggle Without Federal Aide During Pandemic – Nation & World News wuft.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wuft.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Originally published on April 17, 2021 10:40 am
The Chinook Indian Nation has about 3,000 members who mostly live near the mouth of the Columbia River in southwest Washington. But they re not on the list of federally recognized tribes so they get nothing from the Indian Health Service. We have all the problems of Indian Country, but no means of dealing with it, Chinook chair Tony Johnson says. Without recognition, they get no reservation, no housing allowance, no clinics.
And, during the pandemic, no federal recognition has meant no testing supplies or vaccine allocations. So we rely on our neighboring tribes, Johnson says, which means that people are traveling an hour or two or three to be able to access vaccinations, testing and other resources.
Listen • 3:40
Tony Johnson is chair of the Chinook Indian Nation, a federally unrecognized tribe. He stands on a Willapa Bay, Wash. beach, where he got married and not far from where his ancestors lived.
The Chinook Indian Nation has about 3,000 members who mostly live near the mouth of the Columbia River in southwest Washington. But they re not on the list of federally recognized tribes so they get nothing from the Indian Health Service. We have all the problems of Indian country, but no means of dealing with it, Chinook chair Tony Johnson says. Without recognition, they get no reservation, no housing allowance, no clinics.