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Coquille Indian Tribe
Sunset at Cape Arago. (Scenic photo No. cooDA0117)
Contact
Address: 3050 Tremont St., North Bend 97459
Phone: 541-756-0904
E-mail: cit@coquilletribe.org
Web: www.coquilletribe.org
About
Restoration Date: June 28, 1989
Number of Members: 963
Land Base Acreage: 6,468 (Trust Land)
Number of people employed by the Tribe: 705
Economy
The Tribe contributes to the economy of Coos County and its other service area counties, Curry, Douglas, Jackson and Lane, through business ventures including, timber operations, the Mill Casino, Hotel and RV Park, Heritage Place Assisted Living, ORCA Communications, and Coquille Cranberries, making it the second largest employer in Coos County.
Points of interest
Dune rides and shipwrecks at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area; Charleston Harbor; charter fishing for tuna and salmon; crabbing; storm watching; beachcombing; tide pooling; canoeing; and the holiday lights showcase at Shore Acres State Park.
History and culture
The Coquilles’ ancestral homelands, more than one million acres of lower Coos Bay and the Coquille River watershed, were ceded by treaties to the U.S. government in 1851 and 1855 in exchange for reservation land that never materialized because the treaties were never ratified by the U.S. Senate. No permanent tribal land existed until 1989 when Congress passed Public Law 101-42 re-establishing the Coquilles as a federally recognized Indian Tribe.
After regaining federal recognition, the Coquille tribal government created programs to provide housing, health care, education, elder care, law enforcement and judicial services to its members. Cultural preservation efforts include learning and teaching oral histories and traditions to members of the tribe.
A congressional act in 1996 restored 5,410 acres of forest land to the Tribe. The Tribe operates a multi-discipline natural resources progam to manage its forest lands under certification standards of the Forest Stewardship Council.
Tribal court
Chief Judge Don Owen Costello, 3050 Tremont Street, North Bend 97459; 541-756-0904
Tribal council
Chief Ken Tanner (2014); Chairperson Brenda Meade (2015); Vice-Chairperson Toni Ann Brend (2014) Secretary/Treasurer Joan Metcalf (2015); Tribal Representatives: Kippy Robbins (2015) and Sharon Parrish (2014)