WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Congressman Derek Kilmer has introduced the Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act, a bill that would return 72 acres of land, known as Allotment 1157, to the Quinault Indian Nation.

Kilmer says the land was originally part of the Quinault Indian Reservation established under the Treaty of Olympia in 1856. It was taken from the tribe in 1928 during the Allotment Era, which redistributed Native lands to private owners.

Kilmer says the land holds significant cultural and historical value for the Quinault, as it was once used for traditional canoe carving and contains old-growth cedar forest. Upon regaining ownership, the Quinault plans to use the land for educational and cultural purposes, preserving it as a living museum for future generations.