Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation

The Kalispel Reservation, located in Usk in Pend Oreille County, Washington. It was founded in 1914 and is {{Convert|4,557|acre|km2}} large.

The tribe's headquarters is in Cusick, Washington. The tribe is governed by a democratically elected, five-member tribal council. The general council, composed of enrolled members over the age of 18, vote in a general election the first Friday of June every year. Council members are elected for three-year terms. Members must cast their ballots in person, as there is no absentee voting allowed. The elected council members then vote for the officer positions. When voting on government and business matters the Chairman does not vote unless there is a tie. The current administration is as follows:

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• Chairman: Glen Nenema
• Vice-Chairman: Curt Holmes
• Secretary: Betty Jo Piengkham
• Council Member: Nicholas Pierre
• Council Member: Sonny Bigsmoke

Chairman Glen Nenema has been Chairman for over four decades and is the longest consecutively elected tribal chairman in the United States.

[http://www.kalispeltribe.com/business-council/ "Government: Business Council."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709145416/http://www.kalispeltribe.com/business-council/ |date=July 9, 2013 }} Kalispel Tribe of Indians. Retrieved July 28, 2013.

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Traditionally, Kalispel people spoke the Kalispel language, an Interior Salish language.

Kalispel people are thought to have come from British Columbia. In the 18th century, the Niitsitapi people pushed them from the Great Plains to Pend d'Oreille River and Lake Pend Oreille. The town of Kalispell, Montana is named after the tribe.

In 1809, David Thompson opened a trading post for the North West Company of Montréal in their territory. A Roman Catholic mission was founded in the 1840s.Pritzker 258 The Upper Kalispel were forced onto an Indian reservation in Montana, while the Lower Kalispel remained on their homelands in Washington.[http://www.npaihb.org/member_tribes/tribe/kalispel_tribe/ "Kalispel Tribe."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140919181740/http://www.npaihb.org/member_tribes/tribe/kalispel_tribe |date=September 19, 2014 }} Northwest Portland Art Indian Health Board. Retrieved July 28, 2013.

The tribe refused to sign a treaty proposed by the US government in 1872. In 1875, there were only 395 Lower Kalispel. Non-Natives claimed reservation lands under the Homestead Act, and economic opportunities for tribal members were minimal. In 1965, the average tribal member's income was $1,400, and there was only one telephone for the entire tribe.

The Tribe owns and operates the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, located in Airway Heights, Washington. The resort features Masselow's Steakhouse, EPIC Sports Bar, East Pan Asian Cuisine, Qdoba, Neon Pizza, Fatburger, Marketplace, Thomas Hammer Coffee, and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, as well as several bars and lounges: Legends of Fire, The Lounge at Masselow's, Liquid, and Highball.{{Cite web |last=Casino |first=Northern Quest Resort & |date=2024-09-06 |title=Dining & Bars - Overview |url=https://www.northernquest.com/dining-bars/overview |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Northern Quest Resort & Casino |language=en}} Other attractions include Turf Club Sports Book, La Rive Spa, Windfall, Kids Quest, and Cyber Quest.[http://500nations.com/casinos/waNorthernQuest.asp "Northern Quest Resort and Casino."] 500 Nations. Retrieved July 28, 2013.

The Tribe owns the franchise rights to the fast-casual chain Fatburger in Eastern Washington and western Montana and opened a restaurant in their casino in 2009.{{cite news |last=McLean |first=Mike |date=June 21, 2012 |title=Options abound for burger bounty |url=https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/7903-options-abound-for-burger-bounty |work=Spokane Journal of Business |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. {{ISBN|978-0-19-513877-1}}.

• [http://www.kalispeltribe.com/ Kalispel Tribe of Indians], official website

{{Indian reservations in Washington}}

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Category:Native American tribes in Washington (state)

Category:Geography of Pend Oreille County, Washington

Category:Federally recognized tribes in the United States

Category:Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau