Skagit
The Skagit tribe is a Native American group located in northwestern Washington State, primarily along the Skagit River. Traditionally, the tribe was divided into two distinct groups: the Upper Skagit, who lived further east near the Cascade Mountains, and the Lower Skagit, who resided near Puget Sound at the river's mouth. The Skagit people have a marine-oriented culture, with livelihoods historically centered around salmon fishing and the use of cedar for various purposes, including the construction of longhouses and canoes. Despite their close cultural ties to neighboring tribes, such as the Swinomish and the Kikiallus, the Skagit have faced significant challenges due to European contact, land encroachment, and subsequent treaties that diminished their recognition and territory.
As of recent estimates, the Skagit population is around 504 individuals, with 3,027 living on the Swinomish Reservation. The tribe’s historical economy also incorporated activities like berry gathering and hunting, with a societal structure organized by clans. The impact of treaties, particularly the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, led to the loss of lands and forced relocations, significantly altering their traditional lifestyle. Although the Stillaguamish were federally recognized in 1976, the Kikiallus remain unrecognized by the federal government. Today, the Skagit tribe continues to navigate the complexities of cultural preservation and recognition amidst ongoing challenges.
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Subject Terms
Skagit
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northwest Coast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Salishan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Washington State
- POPULATION SIZE: 504 (Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, 2023); 3,027 (Swinomish Reservation, 2021, U.S. Census Bureau)
The Skagit tribe has always lived along the Skagit River in northwestern Washington State, traditionally in a marine-oriented culture. The tribe was divided into two groups, the Upper and Lower Skagit. The Upper Skagit lived further east, toward the Cascade Mountains, and were more heavily influenced by the culture of the Plateau American Indians to their east. The Lower Skagit lived near the mouth of the Skagit River at Puget Sound.
The Swinomish people were often grouped together with the Lower Skagit since they lived nearby and spoke very similar dialects of the Southern Coast Salish language. They are, however, a separate group. The Kikiallus people are a subdivision of the Lower Skagits and once inhabited two villages south of present-day Mount Vernon, Washington, and adjacent Camano Island. (The Skagit River was formerly named the Kikiallus; the meaning of the word “Skagit” is unknown.) The Stillaguamish people, a related tribe centuries ago, lived in twenty-nine villages along the Stillaguamish, slightly south of the Skagit River. The Stillaguamish had close ties with the Kikiallus people.
All these groups based their economies on salmon and cedar. Living in permanent villages of large cedar plank longhouses and highly organized according to clans, they moved seasonally to follow sources of seafood, living in temporary shelters made of cattail mats. Cedar was used to make canoes, clothing, and baskets, as well as tools and ceremonial items. Weaving, berry gathering, clam digging, camas root digging, and (after European contact) potato cultivation were activities for the Native American women of this tribe. Men hunted for game.
Contact with the English and Spanish changed life for these groups, especially after the establishment of a trading post for the Hudson’s Bay Company north of Skagit territory in 1827. American settlers started disrupting Skagit lands and lifestyle in the 1850s and 1860s, and the Treaty of Point Elliott (signed by the Puget Sound tribes and the U.S. government in 1855) meant the end of tribal recognition for some groups and the loss of many lands. Several tribal groups were forced to live on reservations dominated by larger tribes, and as of 2024, the federal government still had not recognized the Kikiallus as a tribe. In 1976, the federal government did recognize the Stillaguamish as a tribe but did not provide for trust land or a land base. The Swinomish reservation is home to the Swinomish proper, along with some Lower Skagits (others of whom live on the Lummi reservation) and Samishes. The Samish tribe is closely related to the Skagit.
Bibliography
Collins, June McCormick. Valley of the Spirits: The Upper Skagit Indians of Western Washington. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1974.
"My Tribal Area." US Census Bureau, 10 May 2017, www.census.gov/tribal/?aianihh=4075. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Ruby, Robert H., et al. A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. 3rd ed. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010.
Ruby, Robert H., and John Arthur Brown. Esther Ross, Stillaguamish Champion. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001.
"The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community" Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, www.swinomish-nsn.gov/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
"Upper Skagit Tribe." Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, 2023, www.npaihb.org/member-tribes/upper-skagit-tribe/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.