Members of the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribe held their annual meeting in Surfside, Oregon, in September 2015. Photo from Facebook

The Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes of Oregon are once again asking Congress for federal recognition.

H.R.3736, the Clatsop-Nehalem Restoration Act, was introduced on October 9. It restores the tribe to recognition by rescinding a provision in a 1954 termination law that applied to the Clatsop and the Nehalem tribes.

“This is about Justice plain and simple," Chairman Diane Collier said in a press release posted by The Native American Times. “We have never left our homeland in spite of over a century of concerted efforts to erase us from the map and deny our very existence. This bill tells us that our ancestors and culture will not be forgotten, and that we are an integral part of the Oregon community in Clatsop and Tillamook counties."

A similar bill was introduced in the last session of Congress but didn't get anywhere. Tribal leaders hope this time will be different.

"We’re more organized now. It just feels right. It just feels like the time is here," Vice Chairman Richard Basch told The Daily Astorian.

Get the Story:
Clatsop-Nehalem Tribe seeks federal recognition for second time (The Chinook Observer 10/27)

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Chinook Nation opposes federal recognition bill for fellow tribe (10/8)
Bill introduced to extend recognition to Clatsop-Nehalem Tribe (08/20)