Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
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| Kootenai Tribe of Idaho | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Boundary County, Idaho |
| Type: | Federally Recognized Tribe |
| Top official: | Gary Aitken Jr., Chairman |
| Website: | Official website |
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho is a federally recognized Native American tribe. The Kootenai tribal reservation is located in northern Idaho along the northern border with British Columbia, Canada, in Idaho's most northerly county, Boundary County. The reservation is approximately 13 acres with a population of roughly 71, according to the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau.[1]
History
Prior to 1974, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho had refused to sign any treaties and their lands along the Kootenai River slowly diminished as a result of European settlement. The U.S. and Canadian border divided the tribe into seven separate groups. It was not until 1974, that the remaining 67 members of the Idaho tribe of the Kootenai, after engaging in a peaceful protest, that the tribe was given 12.5 acres of land.[2]
Native American governance
Lands designated as federally recognized tribal reservations are considered sovereign nations and as such are governed by tribal councils. Tribal councils oversee the management of the natural resources and the health and the education of the people living on the reservation. The council also manages law enforcement, economic development, cultural and social functions.[1]
Federal Indian Law is defined by four key issues:
- Tribes are independent and have a right to self-govern[1]
- Tribal independence is subject to the acts of Congress, who may modify or regulate tribal status[1]
- Only the federal government is authorized to regulate and monitor tribes, not local governments[1]
- The federal government is obligated and has the responsibility to protect tribes and their property[3]
Tribal government
Generally, tribal councils are elected, with each person serving a set number of years. While the council may pass laws and ordinances governing the tribe, such acts are subject to review by the Secretary of the Interior. Tribal councils are often headed up by an appointed or elected chairman or governor, whose job it is to oversee the council.[1]
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho governing body consists of a nine-member tribal council. In addition to chairman, vice chairman, secretary and treasurer, there are three general members, each of whom represents the tribe's three familial districts and who are elected to four-year terms. The council also has two alternate members.[4]
The tribal administration is overseen by the office of Finance and Administration. The duties of the office include economic development, financial services, housing and Gaming Commission liaison. The office has three primary tasks according the tribe's website, which include developing economic prosperity in an environmentally responsible way, creating fair profit for the tribe, and helping "the rural economy to diversify and prosper."[5] The office of Finance and Administration also oversees the social services, Indian Child Welfare (ICW), the Tribal Employment Rights Office and the Tribal Court.[5]
Economic impact
Tribes are permitted to participate in economic development in a corporate form and "create perpetual membership corporations encompassing all tribal members."[1] Committing tribal income and entering into leases must be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.[1]
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho is the largest employer in Boundary County. The tribe operates the Kootenai Casino and Spa in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and the Twin Rivers Canyon Resort located nine miles northeast of Bonners Ferry.[6][7]
In 1988, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was passed by the 100th Congress, which stipulated that regulated gambling was permissible on tribal lands, provided that the state had some form of legalized gambling.[8] The act led to an increase in tribal casinos, which also led to other ventures, such as resorts, hotels and golf courses. The Kootenai Casino and Spa opened in 1986 and has expanded significantly since then. The revenue from the casino, according to the tribe's website, helps to fund higher education for the tribe's youth and business education. The funds have also allowed the tribe "to make significant contributions to regional education, community projects and economic revitalization."[6]
In 2001, across Idaho, tribal gaming contributions to the state's economy were $84 million in wages and earnings, $250 million in sales, and $11 million in property and sales taxes.[1] In total contributions, including gaming, tribes contributed $159 million in wages and earnings, $478 million in sales, $17 million in property and sales taxes, and $6 million in state income tax payments. The tribes generated 7,400 jobs, 4,500 in gaming.[1]
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho also operates the Twin Rivers Canyon Resort, a 40-acre RV park and campground. It is also the site of the tribe's river restoration project, which includes the Twin Rivers Hatchery, where the tribe raises sturgeon and Kootenai River burbot, both almost extinct species.[9]
Lobbying, politics and initiatives
According to the tribe's website, it led an initiative to improve air and water quality in the Kootenai River basin. Working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Idaho State Department of Environmental Quality, the tribe implemented a watershed management plan and, as of December 2015, monitored daily air quality.[10]
In 2009, the tribe began a large-scale preservation project, the Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Program, which, according to the tribe's website, sought to accomplish four goals:[11]
- Restore habits by reducing the negative impacts caused by the altered landscape and hydrograph
- Restore native vegetation by establishing more natural streambank and floodplain conditions
- Restore aquatic habitats conditions so the river can once again support populations of native fish, including the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon
- Create opportunities for river and floodplain stewardship in the community
The project was a joint effort, which included BC Ministry of Forests Land Natural Resource Operations (formerly BC Ministry of Environment), Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho Department of Lands, Idaho Governor’s Office of Species Conservation, Idaho Department of Water Resources, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks, Northwest Power and Conservation Council, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey. Academic institutions as well were in the project, including the University of Idaho, University of Lethbridge in Alberta, and University of California at Davis.[12] The project also included the Twin Rivers Hatchery, located at the Twin Rivers Canyon Resort; the hatchery seeks to restore the white sturgeon and Kootenai River burbot populations.[9]
In August 2015, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho began efforts to save the last wild caribou herd in the contiguous U.S. According to The Spokesman-Review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave the tribe the leadership role in the initiative, noting that the tribe "has a reputation for bringing together opposing sides on divisive issues."[13]
Leadership
As of December 2015, the following were members of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Tribal Council:[14]
- Gary Aitken Jr., Chairman
- Jennifer Porter
- Duane E. Saunders
- Kym Cooper
- Amethyst Aitken
- Velma Bahe
- Ron Abraham
Media
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kootenai Tribe Idaho. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- Idaho Supreme Court
- Idaho Governor
- Butch Otter
- Attorney General of Idaho
External links
- The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
- Kootenai Casino and Spa
- Twin Rivers Resort
- Restoring the Kootenai
- National Indian Gaming Commission
- Department of the Interior, Tribal Nations
- Bureau of Indian Affairs
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 University of Idaho, "Indian Tribes in Idaho," accessed December 23, 2015
- ↑ Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, "History," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ Department of the Interior, "Native American Nations," accessed November 3, 2015
- ↑ Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, "Government," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, "Finance and Administration," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, "Kootenai River Inn, Casino and Spa," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, "Twin Rivers Canyon Resort," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ National Indian Gaming Commission, "Indian Gaming Regulatory Act," accessed November 3, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Twin Rivers Canyon Resort, "Home," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, "Environment," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ Restoring the Kootenai, "Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Program: An Overview," accessed December 21, 2015
- ↑ Restoring the Kootenai, "Kootenai River Habitat Program Cooperating Partners," accessed December 21, 2015
- ↑ The Spokesman-Review, "Kootenai Tribe takes on caribou recovery," August 29, 2015
- ↑ Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, "Tribal Council," accessed December 22, 2015
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