Department of the Interior

A lawsuit has been filed seeking federal recognition for the Duwamish Tribe, whose forebears include Chief Seattle for whom the city of Seattle was named. Federal recognition of a tribal group as a government opens the door to federal benefits and privileges, including operation of casinos.

People with an interest in geography or Pacific Northwest history are coming up with replacement names for dozens of places around the region that currently have a name considered derogatory. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior launched the search for new names by ordering a specific racial slur stricken off the map nationwide as expeditiously as possible.

The U.S. Department of the Interior has identified 18 places in Washington State named with a slur for Indigenous women. But the federal plan clashes with the state's slower, more deliberate process for renaming places.

UPDATE, 3:21 pm: the U.S. Senate confirmed Haaland 51-40 in a roll-call vote.The U.S. Senate will vote on the confirmation of Congresswoman Deb Haaland of…

The settlement resolves lawsuits alleging the federal government mismanaged tribal land, resources and money. The Obama administration says it has now settled more than $3.3 billion in such suits.

Northwest native Sally Jewell faced nearly three hours of questions at a hearing in Washington DC on her nomination to become the next US Secretary of the…

President Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior is an unusual choice. Sally Jewell is not a politician – she’s CEO of the outdoor gear…