x̌ʷnámx̌ʷnam

In 2021-2022, the Methow Conservancy, supported by private philanthropy from the Methow Valley community, purchased and then facilitated the return of 320 acres of ancestral land on the Chewuch River to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation on behalf of the mətx̌ʷu /Methow People. The former Wagner Ranch property (renamed “x̌ʷnámx̌ʷnam/Hummingbird”) offers an important place for the mətx̌ʷu /Methow People to preserve and share their ancestral knowledge, skills, and traditions on their homeland.

In 2022-2023, a group of mətx̌ʷu /Methow People and non-tribal allies began forming a mətx̌ʷu /Methow People’s Board. Comprised of the 13 existing mətx̌ʷu /Methow People families and grounded in the traditional ways of the Methow, this Board has been identifying and prioritizing cultural programming and stewardship efforts that are important to the mətx̌ʷu /Methow People at x̌ʷnámx̌ʷnam/Hummingbird. This Welcoming the mətx̌ʷu /Methow People Home: Supporting Traditional Life at x̌ʷnámx̌ʷnam /Hummingbird cultural programming and land stewardship will be supported administratively by the Methow Conservancy and the Methow Valley Interpretive Center and will operate in harmony with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation’s science, climate change, and property management plans.