To the editor:

The Chinook Indians aren’t currently recognized by the federal government. Their legal status ended in the 1950s with Eisenhower’s “termination policy.” Ike tried to eliminate the “Indian problem” by enticing mainly World War II veterans’ families to move off the reservation into urban centers. Promises of jobs and housing proved hollow, but as soon as reservation populations shrank, many tribes, including the Chinook, were terminated.

The Chinook regained their federal recognition in 2001, only to have that victory reversed by the Bush administration. Ambassador J. Christopher Stephens, who was recently killed in Libya, was not only an enrolled member of the Chinook, he was a direct descendant of Chief Comcomly, friend of Lewis and Clark, who later reached out to arriving settlers. He was principal chief of the entire Chinook Confederacy, which extended from Oregon to Washington before white encroachment reduced their land to two small communities in southwestern Washington.

Ambassador Stevens buried his grandmother’s ashes in Ilwaco, Wash., a small community where Chinook culture survives. Someone recently suggested to the late ambassador’s mother, Mary Commanday, that both her ancestor Chief Comcomly and her son had been deeply involved in bridging cultures. She saw a very different parallel, however: Chief Comcomly’s kindness was rewarded with vicious betrayal.

Chris Stephens gave his life for this country. What better way to honor his memory than to grant his fellow Chinook federal recognition that was taken from them just a few short years before Ambassador Stephens was born? I urge my many friends at Haskell to lead this call for Chinook recognition.