The Quileute (; ) are a Native American people Indigenous to western Washington state in the United States. Quileute people are represented by the federally recognized Quileute Tribe. Some Quileute are enrolled in the federally recognized Quinault Indian Nation.

The Quileute have a long history of occupation on the Olympic Peninsula, with early sites dating back 9,000 years. In the 18th century, the Quileutes first encountered European traders, but contact was infrequent until 1855, when they were party to the Quinault Treaty with the United States. The Quileute agreed to cede their land and move to the Quinault Indian Reservation, however most remained in place. In 1889, the Quileute Reservation was established for the Quileute people at La Push. After the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act, the people of the Quileute Reservation formed the Quileute Tribe in 1936.

The Quileute people speak the Quileute language (), belonging to the Chimakuan language family. Only the extinct Chemakum language is related to Quileute.

Like many Northwest Coast nations, in precontact times the Quileute relied on fishing from local rivers and the Pacific Ocean for food. They built plank houses (longhouses) to protect themselves from the harsh, wet winters west of the Cascade Mountains.

Name

The name Quileute is from , their autonym in the Quileute language. Originally, it referred to the village site at what is today La Push. The literal meaning of the word is unclear.

Quillayute has sometimes been used locally (e.g. Quillayute River), and early anglicizations of the name also included Kwilléhiūt, Kwe-dée-tut, and Quilahutes. They were then separated from their kin, the Chemakum, when a great flood washed the Chemakum away, depositing them at what is today Port Townsend.

The earliest-known evidence of habitation in the Quileute area dates back 8,000-9,000 years, comprable to the nearby Ozette site. was commonly a site of refuge from these raiders, and it functioned both as a fort and a village after a mainland village was relocated to the island. Explorer John Meares described a fortified village in this location in his 1788 writings, and it would continue to be a deeply important part of Quileute culture.

European contact with the Quileute began in the late 18th century. According to Harry Hobucket, Spanish sailors who shipwrecked north of the mouth of the Quillayute River were likely the first Europeans they encountered. They were welcomed into the tribe, living with them for many years until they left to leave south in search of their own people. Several years after, a second wreck, probably a French ship, occurred near the same village and the crew was saved by the Quileute. They also lived with the Quileute for a time, showing the Quileute how to bake flour salvaged from the ship and marrying into Quileute families. It is from these people that the origin of the name "La Push" possibly comes, being from the French , 'the mouth.' They also met the American captain Robert Gray, who traded with them in May of 1792 at their main settlement at La Push. A major famine occurred in the 1840s. The Quileute agreed to cede their 800,000 acres of land and move to the Quinault Reservation, as well as reserving hunting, fishing, and gathering rights.

thumb|A Quileute man, photographed 1913 by [[Edward S. Curtis]]

Reservation era

In 1882, A.W. Smith came to La Push to "civilize" the Quileute. The first school was established a year later in 1883, where Smith began anglicizing Quileute names and renaming others after characters in the Bible and figures in American history.

In 1985, there were 383 Quileutes in the Quileute Tribe. Today, many Quileute continue to make their livings from fishing, though unemployment has become a large problem among Quileutes.

The Quileute have extensive knowledge of the medicinal qualities of their homelands' flora. They use velvetleaf huckleberries, Vaccinium myrtilloides, by eating the uncooked berries, stewing the berries to make a sauce, and canning the berries and using them as food.

Religion and cosmology

Traditional Quileute beliefs revolve around the essence of the universe ('), the Creator-Transformer Qwaeti (),

Like other Northwest Coast cultures, Raven () serves an important role in Quileute stories, though his role is diminished compared to other cultures' stories. The Quileute are the southernmost coastal people to include Raven as the trickster and culture hero. Other important figures include , Thunderbird ('), the kelp-haired child-snatcher ', and a number of other monsters who affected the world.

Language

The Quileute historically spoke the Quileute language (), which is one of two Chimakuan languages. Quileute is also spoken by the Hoh people, who are sometimes considered to be a Quileute band. Up until then, it was spoken only by tribal elders at La Push, and some of the Makah.

The Quileute Tribe is now trying to prevent the loss of the language by teaching it in the Quileute Tribal School, using books written for the students by the tribal elders.

Society

Historic social organization

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Quileute society was divided into three classes: hereditary chiefs and family heads, commoners, and slaves. Each village had two hereditary chiefs of equal power. Slaves were obtained through raids or in trade. Political life revolved around getting and maintaining family prestige and status. Social prestige gave rights to names, dances, songs, designs, and membership in secret societies.

Ceremonies

The Quileute had a number of ceremonial societies which functioned as dance fraternaties identified with occupational groups. Each society had a certain prestige. There were five such societies (listed in order of prestige): the Black Face Society for warriors, the fishermens' ritual, the hunters' society, the whalers' society, and the weathermens' society. The warrior society was also known as the Wolf ritual.

The Quileute, like other Northwest Coast peoples, held potlatches. These ceremonies were originally held for many reasons, including celebrating birth, naming ceremonies, coming of age, inhertance, marriages, memorials to the dead, and as maintenance of property rights. Quileute potlatches typically lasted four to six days. Guests were reimbursed by the host according to their status, and the family holding the potlatch achieved status equivalent to the amount of wealth they gave away. In 2018, the tribe had 808 enrolled citizens.

  • Chairman: Justin "Rio" Jaime
  • Elder Vice-Chairman: Charles Woodruff
  • Secretary: Skyler Foster
  • Treasurer: Douglas Woodruff Jr.
  • Member at Large: Stephanie Calderon

The General Manager is responsible for coordinating with the Tribal Programs, providing guidance and direction to the Business Enterprises, and direct supervision over the Administrative Staff.

  • General Manager: Bryan Cramer

Quileute Indian Reservation

The Quileute Tribe governs the Quileute Indian Reservation. The reservation is located near the southwest corner of Clallam County, Washington, at the mouth of the Quillayute River on the Pacific coast. The reservation's main population center is the community of La Push, Washington. The 2000 census reported an official resident population of 371 people on the reservation, which has a land area of 4.061 km² (1.5678 sq mi, or 1,003.4 acres).

Quileute Tribal School

The Quileute Tribal School serves K-12 tribal and non-tribal students from La Push, Forks, and the Hoh Reservation. The school has an elected five member school board and a hired superintendent. In 2020-2021 131 students from 14 different tribal heritages were enrolled. The school is currently the focus of the organization 'Move to Higher Ground', which hopes to relocate the school outside of the current tsunami zone. Ground was broken on July 1, 2020, for a new campus. Classes began in the new campus in fall of 2022.

thumb|Quileute Tribal School, La Push

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series features Jacob Black and other werewolf characters, all fictional members of the Quileute Tribe and residents of La Push. It has been heavily criticized for its negative depiction of native people, their culture and the incorrect telling of the Quileute stories. The Quileute Tribe received no compensation from Twilight, despite their name and culture being appropriated. The Burke Museum created a website in collaboration with the Quileute Tribe, Truth versus Twilight, to combat misconceptions and educate fans about the truth of the Quileute.

Historian Daniel Immerwahr posits that the Fremen in Frank Herbert's Dune are based on Herbert's interactions with Henry Martin, or Han-daa-sho, a fisherman who lived on the Quileute reservation in La Push, Washington.

References

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Quileute Nation Official Website
  • Quileute Oceanside Resort Website