mətx̌ʷu /Methow Descendants

Since Time Immemorial, the Methow Valley has been the home of the mətx̌ʷu/Methow People. When the first non-Native settlers arrived in the Methow Valley in the late 1800s, the area was part of the Moses-Columbia Reservation, formed in 1879. When the Moses-Columbia Reservation was dissolved in 1884, most of the mətx̌ʷu/Methow People were forcibly relocated to the area east and south of present-day Omak, becoming one of the twelve tribes of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR). Others in this diaspora refused to enter the reservations and simply stayed or dispersed in the region. Some mətx̌ʷu/Methow Descendants have always remained in the Methow Valley, while others returned as often as possible and have continued to do their best to steward the land.

In 2021-2022, the Methow Conservancy, supported by fundraising from the Methow Valley community, purchased and then facilitated the return of 320+ acres of ancestral land on the Chewuch River to the CTCR in honor of the mətx̌ʷu/Methow Descendants. The x̌ʷnámx̌ʷnam/Hummingbird property (formerly Wagner Ranch) offers an important place for the mətx̌ʷu/Methow Descendants to preserve and share their ancestral knowledge, skills, and traditions and to steward the property.

This cultural programming (including traditional food, medicine, dances, regalia, songs, arts, and crafts) and land stewardship are supported administratively by the Methow Conservancy and the Methow Valley Interpretive Center. These programs help the mətx̌ʷu /Methow Descendants reconnect with their ancestral land and cultural traditions on the Chewuch River; ensure that cultural knowledge endures across generations; and express and share cultural heritage with all area residents—both Native and non-Native—who wish to learn.

100% of your donation to the mətx̌ʷu/Methow Descendants is used for their programs, at their sole discretion. 

Learn more here: https://methowconservancy.org/news/entry/MethowDescendants