Series: wetyétmes tılaylá·kapıt, Chief William Burke

wetyétmes tılaylá·kapıt (Chief William Burke), recognized Chief of the Walla Walla people and one of the four hereditary chiefs of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, worked for decades with Tribal partners and federal agencies on Hanford and the issues of nuclear waste.

  • Manhattan Project National Historical Park

    Article 1: The Life of Chief William Burke

    Tribal elder man, headdress of black & white feathers, white buckskin pants, shirt with beadwork.

    This is the first article in a series about the life of wetyétmes tilaylá·kapit (Chief William Burke). After growing up on the Umatilla Reservation, átway Chief Bill Burke went to college, served in the US Army in Alaska, and became a teacher. His relationship with Hanford began in the years following the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, in which the CTUIR was identified as an “affected Indian tribe” requiring the federal government to consult with them. Read more

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    Article 2: Chief William Burke: Coming to Terms with Hanford

    Historic aerial image of 12 large round tanks placed in 3x4 grid, buried except for the tops.

    This is the second article in a series about the life of wetyétmes tilaylá·kapit (Chief William Burke). Following the creation of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, Chief Bill Burke became the manager of the Umatilla Tribe’s Nuclear Waste Study Program. His first task as manager was to fight against the Basalt Waste Isolation Project, which proposed to permanently store all the United States' military nuclear waste to the Hanford site. Read more

  • Manhattan Project National Historical Park

    Article 3: Chief William Burke: Working with Tribal Partners

    A blue cloth banner loosely hung on shrubs that reads Hanford cleanup matters to salmon.

    This is the third article in a series of articles about the life of wetyétmes tılaylá·kapıt (Chief William Burke). Throughout the 1990s, Chief William Burke served as a member of the Tribal Advisory Board for the Hanford Health Information Network. He was also a tribal spokesman on the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project. Read more

  • Manhattan Project National Historical Park

    Article 4: Chief William Burke: Working with Federal Partners

    Two men and a woman sign documents at a table while three men stand behind the seated group.

    This is the fourth article in a series of articles about the life of wetyétmes tılaylá·kapıt (Chief William Burke). In 1999, Chief Burke reflected on the accomplishments and frustrations of working with federal agencies on the Hanford and the issues of nuclear waste. Read more

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