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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: 919
Land Base Acreage: 7,043 acres
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. The tribe has timber operations, health care, housing, education, the Mill Casino, Hotel and RV Park, Heritage Place Assisted Living, ORCA Communications, Coquille Cranberries and a woody biomass project is in the proposal stages. Through these business ventures, the tribe is the second largest employer in Coos County.
Points of interest
Dune rides and shipwrecks at Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area; Charleston Harbor; art/music festivals; whale watching; charter fishing for tuna and salmon; crabbing; lake and river fishing; storm watching; beachcombing; tide pooling; antiquing; kayaking and canoeing; theater; shopping; and the holiday lights showcase at Shore Acres State Park.
History and culture
More than one million acres of lower Coos Bay and the Coquille River watershed were the Coquilles’ ancestral homelands. This land was 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 an administrative program that now provides 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.
Tribal court
Tribal Judge Don Owen Costello, 3050 Tremont Street, North Bend 97459; 541-756-0904
Tribal council
Chief Ken Tanner (2013); Chairman Edward Metcalf (2012); Vice-Chairman Thomas Younker (2011); Secretary/Treasurer Joan Metcalf (2012); Representatives: Kippy Robbins (2012), Sharon Parrish (2011) and Toni Ann Brend (2013)