The Colville Tribes announced the passing of former Chairman Michael Finley Aug. 9 as The Lucy Covington Government Center began flying flags at half-staff in his honor.

Among his notable accomplishments, the three-time chairman of the Colville Tribes presided over Colville’s Memorandum of Agreement in 2008 with the Bonneville Power Administration for acquisition and management of habitat for resident and anadromous fish. While chairman, Finley served also as chairman of the Inter-Tribal Monitoring Association for Indian Trust Funds. In 2012 the Tribes settled a breach of trust lawsuit with the federal government for $193 million under his leadership. He served as chairman during the DNA testing that confirmed the “Ancient One’s” genetic link to the modern Colville Tribes, and he worked passionately for the return of the Ancient One. Finley testified before Congress many times on behalf of the Colville Tribes as chairman.

Finley earned a BA in American Indian studies and history in 2003 and a master’s degree in history in 2005 from Eastern Washington University. He served on the EWU Board of Trustees. He was a co-author of the book “Finding Chief Kamiakin: The Life and Legacy of a Northwest Patriot.” He assisted with the Sinixt ethnoreport which informed the Colville Tribes’ successful litigation of the Desautel case in the Canadian Supreme Court that re-affirmed the Sinixt as a First Nations people in Canada.

Finley received numerous awards for his academic and professional achievements and served as the first vice president of the National Congress of American Indians.

Finley worked for the Tribes’ History and Archaeology Department and was an outstanding researcher, often finding overlooked or new data while visiting museums and archives. He collaborated with scholars, such as Richard Scheuerman, and historians, such as Richard Hart. He interviewed roughly 75 tribal elders to write several reports on traditional cultural properties. Finley contributed a chapter to “Kennewick Man: Perspectives on the Ancient One” and also worked on archaeological surveys and excavations with a focus on the Upper Columbia River.

“Former Chairman Finley spent his life in service of the Colville people, both in preserving our history and in leading our way into the future,” said current Colville Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson. “He leaves behind a family and many friends who love him. Mike will live on as part of the Colville tribal history he loved.”