I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3084 
To restore Federal recognition to the Chinook Nation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 26, 2009 
Mr. BAIRD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To restore Federal recognition to the Chinook Nation, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Chinook Nation Restoration Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Chinook Nation made a significant con-
tribution to the historic journey of Meriwether Lewis 
and William Clark to the Pacific Ocean by greeting 
the expedition and their company as well as trading 
with them throughout the winter of 1805–1806. 
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(2) The United States subsequently recognized 
the Chinook Nation as an Indian tribe in the Anson 
Dart (Tansy Point) Treaty of 1851, and the Isaac 
Stevens (Chehalis River) Treaty of 1855, but neither 
treaty was ratified, resulting in serious harm to the 
Chinook people. 
(3) As a result of the failure of the United 
States to protect the Chinook Nation and people, the 
Chinooks lost their historic lands on the Columbia 
River, and a great number of them succumbed to 
poverty and disease in the 19th century. 
(4) It was the intent of Congress in the Act of 
March 4, 1911 (36 Stat. 1345), to provide restitu-
tion to the Chinook people in the form of allotments 
of land on existing Indian reservations, which the 
Supreme Court of the United States upheld in 
Halbert v. United States (283 U.S. 753 (1931)). 
(5) Congress named four of the five tribes of 
the 
Chinook 
Nation, 
the 
Lower 
Chinook, 
Wahkiakum, Cathlamet, and Clatsop, in the Western 
Oregon Termination Act of 1954, and this Act is the 
only basis for termination of the Federal relationship 
with the Tribe. 
(6) The Chinook Nation has remained active on 
the Lower Columbia River and Willapa Bay in the 
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vicinity of the reservation area of the Tansy Point 
Treaty and is well-known to neighboring tribes and 
other communities. 
(7) The Chinook people have survived and 
maintained their language, Chinookwawa, and cul-
ture despite decades of neglect by the United States. 
(8) With different Administrations disagreeing 
about the legal status of the Chinook Nation, it is 
time for Congress to restore the Chinook Nation to 
Federal tribal status. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions 
apply: 
(1) MEMBER.—The term ‘‘member’’ means an 
enrolled member of the Chinook Nation as of the 
date of enactment of this Act, or an individual who 
has been placed on the membership role in accord-
ance with this Act. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(3) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the Chi-
nook Indian Nation, composed of the Lower Chi-
nook, Wahkiakum, Cathlamet, Clatsop, and Willapa 
Tribes. 
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