.QUILEUTE TRIBE

THESE FOLKS ARE IN WESTERN WASHINGTON AND THEY NUMBER 750 PEOPLE. THEY SETTLERS ON THE RESERVATION. AND NUMBER 750 PEOPLE. THEY SETTLED ON THE RESERVATION IN IN 1855 AFTER SIGNING THE QUINALT TREATY. IT IS AT THE MOUTH OF THE QUINALT TREATY. IT IS AT THE MOUTH OF THE QUILLAYETE RIVER ON THE COAST. IN 2000 THEY HAD A POPULATION 370 FOLKS ON THE RESERVATION OF 1000 ACRES. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT.

THE QUILETE LANGUAGE BELONGS TO THE CHIMAKUAN FAMILY AMONG THE NW COAST OF PEOPLES. IT IS ONE OF A KIND AS THE ONLY RELATED ABORIGINAL PEOPLE TO THE QUILEUTE, CHIMAKUM, WHO WERE KILLED BY CHIEF SEATTLE IN THE 1860'S. THIS LANGUAGE IS 1 OF 6 LANGUAGES THAT THAT LACK NASAL SOUNDS.

THESE PEOPLE ABORIGINALLY RELIED ON FISHING FROM LOCAL RIVERS AND THE OCEAN. THEY BUILT PLANK HOUSES FOR THE WINTER. THEY WERE ONCE GREAT HUNTERS OF WHALES, ALONG WITH THE MAKAH.

HISTORICALLY THEY WERE EXCELLENT BOATERS- THEY MADE CANOES FOR WHALING THAT COULD HOLD 6000 POUNDS OF CARGO. AND MANY MORE. THEY MADE CANOES FROM CEDARS IN VARIOUS SIZES. THIS TRIBE IS BEST KNOWN FOR IT'S CRAFTSMEN SHIP IN WEAVING BASKETS, AND DOG HAIR BLANKETS. THEY RAISED SPECIALLY BRED WOOLY DOGS FOR THEIR HAIR. THEY SPUN THIS HAIR. THEIR FINELY WOVEN BASKETS COULD HOLD WATER AND BOIL WATER. THEY MADE WATERPROOF SKIRTS AND HATS FROM CEDAR STRIPS TO SHIELD AGAINST THE RAINFALL.

THEY ORIGINALLY WERE A VERY SPIRITUAL PEOPLE BUT THEY HAVE CHANGED THROUGH TIME. THE BOYS WOULD GO ON QUESTS TO FIND THEIR SUPERNATURAL POWER ONCE THEY REACHED PUBERTY, IF THEY WANTED TO FIND THEIR POWER. AT A CERTAIN AGE THE THE POWER WOULD WEAR OFF. THEY WOULD PERFORM THE FIRST SALMON SOCIETY TO ENSURE A GOOD THEORY.

THEY BELIEVED EVERYONE HAD THEIR OWN GUARDIAN AND THEY WOULD PRAY TO IT. MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL RELIGION WAS LOST AND FORGOTTEN AFTER THE EUROPEAN RELIGION WAS LOST AND FORGOTTEN AFTER THE EUROPEANS CAME. JAMES ISLAND HAS PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN ALL ASPECTS OF THEIR BELIEFS AND CULTURE. THEY CALLED IT A-KALAT ON THE TOP OF THE ROCK. IT WAS A BURIAL GROUND FOR CHIEFS AND A FORTRESS TO KEEP OPPOSING TRIBES OUT.

THEIR FOLKLORE SAID THEY DESCENDED FROM WOLVES. THEIR MYTH PROCLAIMS THAT THE TWO SIDED MYTHICAL, CHARACTER KNOWN AS "DOKIBATT" AND "K'WA'ITI" WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING THE 1ST. PERSON IN THE TRIBE. INTHE BEGINNING THERE WERE 6 TRIBAL SOCIETIES THAT REPRESENTED THE ELK HUNTER, THE WHALE HUNTER, THE FISHERMAN, THE WEATHER PREDICTOR, AND THE MEDICINE MAN. THE MEDICINE MAN HONORED THE CREATOR WITH THE WOLF DANCE. THEIR FOLKLORE IS VERY MUCH ALIVE IN THE AREA OF THEIR NATION. THEY HAVE DESCENDANTS OF THE ORIGINAL TRIBE.

THEY HAVE A UNIQUE LANGUAGE, PART OF THE CHIMAKUEN FAMILY OF LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY THE ELDERS. THE CHIMIKUAN WERE COMPLETELY KILLED IN 1860 BY CHIEF SEATTLE. THEIR CONTACT WITH ANGLO SETTLERS WAS SIMILAR TO MANAGE TRIBES. IN 1775 A SPANISH SHIP TOOK THEM AS SLAVES! AND AGAIN IN 1787 THE BRITISH SHIP TOOK THEM AS SLAVES. AND IN 1808 SO DID A RUSSIAN SHIP. IN 1855 THEY SIGNED A TREATY SAYING THEY HAD TO RELOCATE TO THEIR RESERVATION. THREE BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT THIS TRIBE - MOST ARE FICTION.

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