Quileute
The Quileute are a Native American tribe located in western Washington, primarily residing on a reservation at La Push. Traditionally, they were a maritime people who lived in longhouses and relied heavily on fishing, which shaped their cultural practices and mythology. Their society was hierarchical, consisting of hereditary chiefs, commoners, and enslaved individuals, with status derived from various means including warfare and wealth accumulation. The Quileute have a rich spiritual life centered around shamanistic beliefs and ceremonies, including the potlatch and rites of passage.
Historically, the Quileute interacted with European Americans beginning in the late 18th century and signed a reservation treaty in 1855. Despite early misunderstandings leading to forced relocations, they established self-governance in the 1930s. In recent decades, the Quileute gained visibility through the "Twilight" book series, which has increased tourism but also sparked discussions about cultural representation and appropriation. The tribe is actively engaged in revitalizing their traditional culture, preserving their language, and adapting to modern challenges such as climate change through initiatives like the Move to Higher Ground project. Additionally, they continue to promote tourism while focusing on environmental stewardship and cultural education.
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Quileute
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northwest Coast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Chimakuan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Western Washington
- POPULATION SIZE: 336 Quileute Reservation, WA (2021 US Census)
The Quileute, a maritime people, traditionally dwelled in permanent split-cedar-roofed longhouses that accommodated several extended families or even a lineage. They depended primarily upon fishing, reflected in their ceremonies, settlement patterns, technology, and mythology. Quileute society was internally stratified with hereditary chiefs, commoners, and enslaved peoples. Status was gained through oratory, warfare, birth, and accumulation and redistribution of traditional forms of wealth (usually in the forms of copper, enslaved peoples, obsidian blades, pileated red woodpecker scalp capes, and dentalium shells). Kinship was bilateral. Residence tended to be patrilocal. They traditionally had a shamanistic religion; polygyny; complex ceremonies, including the potlatch; house and totem pole-raising; rites of passage; and the launching of hollowed red cedar canoes for trading.
The raven is a cultural hero, and traditional art is typified by geometric and representational thunderbird-whale motifs. The wolf is an important player in the Quileute origin story.
The nation's first European American contact was with the Spanish in 1775 and the British in 1787. The Quileute signed a reservation treaty in 1855 with Governor Isaac I. Stevens, but through a misunderstanding, the Quileute remained in their territory until 252 were removed in 1889 to a low-lying one-mile-square reservation at La Push on the western coast of Washington. In 1893, the remaining seventy-one inhabitants moved to the Hoh River. In 1882, a school was established at La Push. The syncretic Indian Shaker Church was introduced to the Quileute in 1895.
In 1936, the Quileute adopted a constitution and bylaws, and in 1937, they became an independent and self-governing sovereign people governed by a five-member elected council. By the end of the twentieth century, their main sources of income were a fish-buying company, tourism, a cooperative store, and a fishing gear store that supplied local anglers and tourists. Many Quileute people were self-employed in logging and fishing. There were numerous successful efforts at revitalizing certain aspects of Quileute traditional culture, particularly with the teaching of woodworking skills.
In the early twenty-first century, Stephenie Meyer's young-adult fantasy series Twilight brought a great deal of attention to the nation because several characters are shapeshifting Quileute from La Push. The popular books were later adapted into big-budget films. The interest generated by the series translated into high levels of tourism and new economic opportunities for hospitality and for the nation's artisans. It has also afforded the Quileute the opportunity to educate visitors about their real-life culture and traditions. There has been controversy, however, regarding the series' depiction of the Quileute, Meyer's appropriation of an actual sacred story and secret society, and corporate exploitation of the Quileute name and culture.
In 2012, the Quileute Tribe was granted nearly another thousand acres of land in trust, enabling them to relocate vital service buildings to higher ground that is less vulnerable to flooding and tsunamis. As the twenty-first century progressed, the Quileute continued their Move to Higher Ground project, building a new school and relocating essential housing and infrastructure. The nation was also actively working to preserve its language, which was taught at the Quileute Tribal School. In 2021, the Quileute Nation Culture and Language Committee released an app to further support this effort. Additionally, the Quileute people continued to promote their tourism offerings, including the Oceanside Resort, while being active in environmental stewardship.
Bibliography
"About the Move to Higher Ground Project." Quileute Tribe Move to Higher Ground, mthg.org/about/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Dartt-Newton, Deana. "The Truth Versus Twilight." Burke Museum, www.burkemuseum.org/static/truth‗vs‗twilight. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
"History." Quileute Nation, quileutenation.org/history. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Nelson, Bryn. "The Quileute Reservation Copes with Tourists Brought by 'Twilight.'" High Country News, 2 July 2012, www.hcn.org/issues/44.11/the-quileute-reservation-copes-with-tourists-brought-by-twilight. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
"Quileute Culture – T’abil Experiences." Quileute Tribal School, qtschools.org/quileute-culture-tabil-experiences/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
Riley, Angela R. "Sucking the Quileute Dry." New York Times, 7 Feb. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08riley.html. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
Ruby, Robert H., John A. Brown, and Cary C. Collins. A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. 3rd ed., U of Oklahoma P, 2014.
"2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates Selected Population Data Profiles: Quileute Reservation." US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/table/ACSDP5YSPT2021.DP05?q=Quileute%20Reservation,%20WA. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.