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Washington Indian Tribe History
Chehalis. A
collective name for several Salishan tribes on Chehalis River and its
affluents, and on Grays harbor, Wash. Gibbs states that it belongs
strictly to a village at the entrance of Grays harbor, and signifies
'sand.'
There were 5 principal villages on the river, and 7 on
the north and 8 on the south side of the bay; there were also a few
villages on the north end of Shoalwater Bay. By many writers they are
divided into Upper Chehalis or Kwaiailk, dwelling above Satsop River, and
the Lower Chehalis from that point down. The following subdivisions are
mentioned, some of which were single villages, while others probably
embraced people living in several:
| Chiklisilkh |
Klimmim |
Noosiatsks |
| Cloquallum |
Klumaitumsh |
Nooskoh |
| Hoquiam |
Nickonmin |
Satsop |
| Hooshkal |
Nooachhummilh |
Wynooche |
| Humptulips |
Noohoonltch |
Whiskah |
| Kishkallen |
Nookalthu |
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The Satsop speak a dialect
distinct from the others. In 1806 Lewis and Clark assigned to them a
population of 700 in 38 lodges. In 1904 there were 147 Chehalis and 21
Humptulips under the Puyallup School superintendent, Wash.
Chimakum, A Chimakuan tribe, now probably extinct, formerly occupying the
peninsula between Hood's canal and Port Townsend, Wash. Little is known of their
history except that they were at constant war with the Clallam and other Salish
neighbors, and by reason of their inferiority in numbers suffered extremely at
their hands. In 1855, according to Gibbs, they were reduced to 90 individuals.
The Chimakum were included in the Point no Point treaty of 1855 and placed upon
the Skokomish Reservation, since which time they have gradually diminished in
numbers. In 1890 Boas was able to learn of only three individuals who
spoke the language, and even those but imperfectly. He obtained a small
vocabulary and a few grammatical notes, published in part in Am. Anthrop., v,
37-44, 1892.
Stehtsasamish. A division of Salish
on Budds inlet, near the present site of Olympia, Wash.; pop. 20 in 1854,
according to Gibbs. Stéhchass is said
by Gibbs to be the Nisqualli name for the site of Olympia itself.
Stillaquamish. A division of Salish
formerly living on a river of the same name in northwest Washington. They
area branch of, or closely related to, the Snohomish, and are now on
Tulalip reservation, but their number is not separately reported.
Puyallup. An important Salish tribe
on Puyallup River and Commencement Bay, west Washington. According to
Gibbs, their designation is the Nisqualli name for the mouth of Puyallup
River, but Evans (Bancroft, Hist. Wash., 66, 1890) says the name means
'shadow,' from the dense shade of its forests. By treaty at Medicine
Creek, Wash., Dec. 26, 1854, the Puyallup and other tribes at the head of
Puget Sound ceded their lands to the United States and agreed to go upon a
reservation set apart for them on the sound near Shenahnam Creek, Wash. In
1901 there were 536 on Puyallup res., Wash.; in 1909, 469.
Salish (Okinagan:
sälst, 'people'). Formerly a large and powerful division of
the Salishan family, to which they gave their name, inhabiting much of west
Montana and centering around Flathead lake and valley. A more popular
designation for this tribe is Flatheads, given to them by the surrounding
people, not because they artificially deformed their heads, but because, in
contradistinction to most tribes farther west, they left them in their natural
condition, flat on top. They lived mainly by hunting. The Salish, with the
cognate Pend d'Oreille and the Kutenai, by treaty of Hell Gate, Montana, July 16,
1855, ceded to the United States their lands in Montana and Idaho. They also
joined in the peace treaty at the mouth of Judith river, Montana, Oct. 17, 1855.
Lewis and Clark estimated their population in 1806 to be 600; Gibbs gave their
probable number in 1853 as 325, a diminution said to be due to wars with the
Siksika; number of Flatheads under Flathead agency, Montana.
Quileute, A Chimakuan tribe, now the only representative of the linguistic
stock, whose main seat is at Lapush, at the mouth of Quillaynte river, about 35
miles south of Cape Flattery, west coast of Washington. A small division of the
tribe, the Hoh live at the mouth of the river of the same name, 15 miles south
of Lapush. Since they have been known to the whites the Quileute have always
been few in number, but being of an independent and warlike disposition and
occupying an easily defended situation, they have successfully resisted all the
attempts of neighboring tribes to dislodge them. Their most active enemies have
been the Makah, of Neah bay, and until they came under the control of the United
States petty warfare between the two tribes was constant. The Quileute are noted
for their skill in pelagic sealing and are the most successful in that pursuit
of all the tribes of the coast. They are also daring whalers, but have not
attained the proficiency of the Makah. Salmon are caught in considerable numbers
and constitute an important article of food. Roots and berries of various kinds
are also much used. Although the woods in their vicinity abound with deer, elk,
and bear, the Quilt ate seem to have hunted them but little and have confined
themselves to a seafaring life. There is evidence that a clan system of solve
sort formerly existed among them, but is now broken down. Their customs as well
as their mythology indicate a possible connection with the tribes of Vancouver
island. The Quilente, together with the Quinaielt, by treaty at Olympia, July 1,
1855, and Jan. 25, 1856, ceded all their lands to the United States and agreed
to remove to a reserve to be provided for them in Washington Territory.
The tribe has gradually diminished until now it numbers but slightly more than
200. They are under the jurisdiction of the Neah Bay agency.
The books presented are for their
historical value only and are not the
opinions of the Webmasters of the site.
Handbook
of American Indians, 1906
Index of Tribes or Nations
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