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Indians 101: A very short overview of Washington's Suquamish Indians [1]
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Date: 2022-12-06
According to a sign in the Suquamish Museum:
“We are the Suquamish people. We are a tribe, a nation, a culture, and a family. We share a proud heritage founded on the teachings of our ancestors, and an enduring future forged from our spirit, wisdom, and enterprise. We are born of these ancient shores, where the water touches the land, and where the gifts of opportunity are revealed with every changing tide. Wherever those tides may carry us, these shores will always be our home.”
Shown above is a time-line history of the Suquamish people in the Suquamish Museum.
Traditionally the Suquamish, a Salish-speaking people, were a maritime people.
Villages and Houses
One of the most important Suquamish villages once stood on the shores of Agate Passage. This is where the Suquamish built Old Man House, the largest longhouse on the Salish Sea. This was a major intertribal gathering place where people from all across the region came together for trade, celebrations, and diplomacy. In 1841, Joseph Perry Sanford, a member of the United States Exploring Expedition, described the Old Man House:
“It measured 200 ft by 100 ft. The floor is of earth and sunken. It had on either side 20 uprights and on which were rudely carved uncouth figures with head, eyes &c.”
Canoes
The Northwest Coast culture area is oriented toward water: both the ocean and the many rivers flowing into it. Before the coming of the Europeans, the villages were built near water, either on the seacoast or on a river. Transportation was primarily by water. Distances were measured by how far a canoe could travel in a single day. The traditional cultures of the Northwest Coast Indian nations, such as the Suquamish, is often characterized as a canoe culture.
Since settling in the area thousands of years ago, the Suquamish carried out trade by travelling long distances throughout the Salish Sea. They travelled northward to the islands, westward to the Pacific Ocean and down the coast. They travelled for fishing, trading, visiting, and warfare against enemy nations
Baskets
Traditionally, the Suquamish made several different kinds of baskets, each with a special use. Writing in 1895, anthropologist Franz Boas reported:
“A great variety of baskets are used—large wicker baskets for carrying fish and clams, cedar bark baskets for purposes of storage.”
Coiled baskets were used for collecting berries, carrying water (yes, they were woven tight enough to be waterproof), cooking (hot stones were dropped in the water-filled baskets to cook the food), and for storing dried foods. Open-weave baskets were used for gathering clams, small fish, and seaweed.
After the European invasion began, the Suquamish basket makers began making special baskets for sale as collectables. They also wove other small items for sale including dolls and toys.
Religion
As with other Indian tribes, living a successful life depended on the assistance of spiritual helpers. Individuals used songs and dances, set to the rhythms of hand drums, to obtain their help. Much of the carving and painting on both common and ceremonial objects was designed to gain cooperation from one’s spiritual guides.
Shown above is a raven rattle.
Like all Native American peoples, the Suquamish have many creation stories explaining the mythological history of the people. . In the Suquamish Museum there are six sculptures holding up a canoe giving homage to Carriers of the Canoe Culture through Time.
The two animals at the back of the canoe are Otters: they represent the earliest times of creation, when people and animals could shape-shift and had the full freedom of communication.
The two figures in the center represent the Ancestors, from a time before the land was shared with non-Indians.
The two people in the front of the canoe are the Suquamish people today.
More tribal profiles
Indians 101: A short overview of the Makah Indians
Indians 201: A short overview of the Duwamish Indians
Indians 201: A very short overview of the Chickasaw Indians
Indians 101: A very brief overview of the Osage Indians
Indians 201: A short overview of the Tillamook Indians
Indians 101: A Short Overview of the Ute Indians
Indians 101: A Short Overview of the Potawatomi Indians
Indians 201: A very short overview of the Wea Indians
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