Umatilla Indian Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Umatilla Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation
in eastern Oregon
in the United States
, mostly located in Umatilla County
, with a very small part extending south into Union County
. The reservation is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
.
The reservation has a land area of 271.047 sq mi (702.009 km²) and a population of 2,927 as of the 2000 census
. The largest community is Mission
, which is the site of the Umatilla Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
. Some BIA agency offices serve more than one federally recognized tribe, but the Umatilla Agency serves only the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Located near the city of Pendleton
on the north side of the Blue Mountains
, the reservation was established for three Sahaptin
-speaking Native American
tribes who traditionally inhabited the Columbia Plateau
region: the Cayuse
, Umatilla
, and Walla Walla
. The tribes share land and a governmental structure as part of their confederation.
The reservation has a casino
on Interstate 84
, the Wildhorse Casino Resort. The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
provides a historical exhibit about the reservation and the three tribes, as well as exhibits of Native American arts and traditional craftwork.
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in eastern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, mostly located in Umatilla County
Umatilla County, Oregon
Umatilla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the Umatilla River. In 2010, its population was 75,889...
, with a very small part extending south into Union County
Union County, Oregon
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for the town of Union, which is located within its boundaries; in 2010, the county population was 25,748. The county seat is La Grande.-History:Union County...
. The reservation is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is a federally recognized confederation of three Sahaptin-speaking Native American tribes who traditionally inhabited the Columbia River Plateau region: the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla....
.
The reservation has a land area of 271.047 sq mi (702.009 km²) and a population of 2,927 as of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The largest community is Mission
Mission, Oregon
Mission is an unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Mission as a census-designated place . The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the...
, which is the site of the Umatilla Agency of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
. Some BIA agency offices serve more than one federally recognized tribe, but the Umatilla Agency serves only the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Located near the city of Pendleton
Pendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census...
on the north side of the Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains (Oregon)
The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the western United States, located largely in northeastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington...
, the reservation was established for three Sahaptin
Sahaptin language
Sahaptin , Sħáptənəxw, is a Plateau Penutian language of the Sahaptian branch spoken in a section of the northwestern plateau along the Columbia River and its tributaries in southern Washington, northern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho....
-speaking Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes who traditionally inhabited the Columbia Plateau
Columbia Plateau
The Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River...
region: the Cayuse
Cayuse
The Cayuse are a Native American tribe in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation...
, Umatilla
Umatilla (tribe)
The Umatilla are a Sahaptin-speaking Native American group living on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, who traditionally inhabited the Columbia Plateau region of the northwestern United States....
, and Walla Walla
Walla Walla (tribe)
Walla Walla |Native American]] tribe of the northwestern United States. The reduplication of the word expresses the diminutive form. The name "Walla Walla" is translated several ways but most often as "many waters."...
. The tribes share land and a governmental structure as part of their confederation.
The reservation has a casino
Native American gambling enterprises
Native American gaming enterprises are gaming businesses operated on Indian reservations or tribal land in the United States. Indian tribes have limited sovereignty over these businesses and therefore are granted the ability to establish gambling enterprises outside of direct state...
on Interstate 84
Interstate 84 in Oregon
In the U.S. state of Oregon, Interstate 84 travels east–west, following the Columbia River and the rough path of the old Oregon Trail from Portland east to Idaho. For this reason, it is also known as most of the Columbia River Highway No. 2 and all of the Old Oregon Trail Highway No. 6 . It...
, the Wildhorse Casino Resort. The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute is a museum and research institute located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton in eastern Oregon. It is the only Native American museum along the Oregon Trail. The institute is dedicated to the culture of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes...
provides a historical exhibit about the reservation and the three tribes, as well as exhibits of Native American arts and traditional craftwork.
Communities
- CayuseCayuse, OregonCayuse is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States, located 11 miles east of Pendleton on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. The population was 59 at the 2000 census...
- GibbonGibbon, OregonGibbon is an unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. It is about 20 miles east of Pendleton on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, near the Umatilla River....
- Gopher FlatsGopher Flats, OregonGopher Flats is a census-designated place in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 401 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- KirkpatrickKirkpatrick, OregonKirkpatrick is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 172 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- MissionMission, OregonMission is an unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Mission as a census-designated place . The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the...
- RiversideRiverside, Umatilla County, OregonRiverside is a census-designated place in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 189 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- TutuillaTutuilla, OregonTutuilla is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 460 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Pendleton–Hermiston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...