Opinion ID: 2743635
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: King Mountain Tobacco Company

Text: King Mountain Tobacco Company is owned and operated by Delbert Wheeler, an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation. King Mountain initially obtained all of its tobacco from an entity in North Carolina. Today, King Mountain grows some of its tobacco and manufactures its tobacco products, in part, on trust lands within the boundaries of the Yakama Nation. In 2009, approximately 3.1% of the tobacco used in King Mountain’s products was grown on trust lands. By 2010, that amount had risen to 9.5%. In 2011, it rose again, to 37.9%. King Mountain ships its tobacco crop to Tennessee where it is threshed. From there, the tobacco is sent to a factory in North Carolina where more tobacco is added to the reservation tobacco. This process is called “blending.” After 1 The Treaty refers to the tribe as the “Yakamas” but the parties use “Yakama,” so we adopt that convention. KING MOUNTAIN TOBACCO CO. V. MCKENNA 5 blending is complete, the tobacco is sent back to the reservation. King Mountain sells cigarettes and other tobacco products on the reservation, throughout Washington, and in about sixteen other states.