Lavina Washines facts for kids

Lavina Washines (born April 1, 1940 – died June 2, 2011) was an important leader for the Yakama Nation. She made history as the first woman to lead the Yakama Nation, a Native American tribe in Washington State, United States.

She was elected to the Yakama Nation Tribal Council in 1985. Later, from 2006 to 2008, she served as the chair of the tribal council. This made her the main leader of her people.

Lavina Washines was a respected elder from the Kah-milt-pah, also known as the Rock Creek band. This group lived near the Columbia River. She could speak several Yakima dialects. She worked very hard to protect her tribe's treaty rights and their right to govern themselves.

Leading the Yakama Nation

Lavina Washines was very involved in tribal matters. She was first elected to the Yakama Nation Tribal Council in 1985. This council helps make decisions for the tribe.

She served as the main leader, or chair, of the tribe from 2006 to 2008. During her time as chair, she helped the tribe achieve many important goals.

Protecting Land and Rights

In 2007, Lavina Washines celebrated a big success for the Yakama Nation. With help from the Trust for Public Land, the tribe bought back land at Lyle Point. This special place is where the Klickitat River meets the Columbia River.

The Yakama people call this area Nanainmi Waki Uulktt. This means "the place where the wind blows from two directions."

A Special Place: Lyle Point

For a long time, the tribe used Lyle Point to dry salmon. They also needed access to the rivers for fishing, which is a very important part of their culture and traditions.

However, Lyle Point had become popular with windsurfers. Private owners wanted to build a gated community there. This would have stopped the Yakama people from using their traditional lands.

Lavina Washines spoke about how important it was to get this land back. She said:

"This is a great day for the Yakamas -- to get the land returned back for access to our fishing right areas. The younger generation will continue to exercise their Creator-given right to our very important salmon. The U.S. government promised us with their honorable word to uphold their trust responsibility. All Yakamas will benefit with this accomplishment by the current Tribal Council officials."

Standing Up for the Environment

Also in 2007, Lavina Washines spoke about a lawsuit involving the Hanford Nuclear Site Cleanup. The Yakama Nation had sued the U.S. Department of Energy in 2002. They wanted to see the land, water, plants, and animals cleaned up. These areas might have been harmed by dangerous materials from the site.

The Nez Perce Tribe later joined the lawsuit. The states of Washington and Oregon also joined. Lavina Washines said that getting money to study the harm done was very important. She explained:

"These injury studies are so expensive that a government must know at the onset it can recover them from the polluter. Now we will be able to do the studies necessary to understand the full extent of the harm done by Hanford."

This shows her dedication to protecting the environment and the health of her people.

A Voice for Her People

In 2007, Lavina Washines also attended a special event. It was a re-enactment of the "Huckleberry Treaty" handshake. This event took place near Surprise Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It was a way to remember important agreements and traditions.

Lavina Washines was a strong voice for her community. She often spoke about the deep connection her people have to their land and traditions.

Quote

Here is a famous quote from Lavina Washines, showing her passion for her people's way of life:

"We have to go out and fish -- that’s our life -- it’ll always be our life ... we want to be able to go to the water and get our salmon like our creator directs us through our songs."