Upper Skagit Native American Tribe

Two Linguistic Groups

Northwest Washington State was home to a number of different Native American tribes, known as Coast Salish. Coast Salish was comprised of two different linguistic groups: the Straits, which included the Clallam, Lummi, Samish and Semiahmoo tribes, and the Lushootseed, which included the Tulalip, Lummi, Swinomish and Upper Skagit tribes.

The Upper Skagit Reservation today

The Reservation

"The Upper Skagit Reservation lies in the uplands of the Skagit River Valley, east of Sedro-Woolley in Skagit County and near Exit 236 along Interstate 5 just north of Burlington near Alger."

The Treaty of Point Elliott

The Treaty of Point Elliot

In 1855, after the colonizers started moving into the area, more than eighty tribal members signed the Treaty of Point Elliott. This treaty exchanged the majority of tribal land for "a small amount of money and access to federal welfare, health, and educational services. They would also retain access to their traditional hunting and fishing areas." Unfortunately, no single tribe was recognized through the treaty, meaning no reservation was set up. "Relocation was to put Coastal Samish tribes on distant reservations to be shared with unfamiliar or enemy tribes." This treaty was not recognized or legally upheld until 1974, and a reservation was not established until 1981. This caused tensions between residents of the land that was taken and the native tribes over sacred fishing sites.

Resistance

Resistance to Settlers

"A two-mile logjam at the site of the present-day town of

Mt. Vernon discouraged white settlement along the Skagit River until it was dynamited in 1878, but Upper

Skagit people resisted the movement of settlers and surveyors up the Skagit Valley. Conflict in 1886 led the

Upper Skagit to warn all settlers to leave the area or be harmed. More than one hundred canoes of people

met with settlers to protest the seizure of their lands."

Spirits

"The number of spirit powers in the world is limitless. Some are called career spirits, since they help with everyday work. Clam or Duck, for example, help in hunting, while others support the making of baskets or assist in gambling. Loon and Grizzly were among the spirits for warriors, while Wolf and Thunder boosted the careers of undertakers and orators respectively, and humanlike beings provided wealth. In addition to career spirits, curing spirits like Otter, Kingfisher, and a giant horned serpent could be obtained by men and women destined to become doctors."

Conflict

Because the treaty states that tribal members still have access to their traditional and sacred hunting and fishing grounds, and because these are so important to native peoples because of the sacrifice their ancestors made to keep them, there has been conflict between the settlers and modern residents and the tribe. These conflicts stem from a few issues, including the tribe's net fishing, which has been banned for commercial use because of negative environmental effects, the coinciding of sacred fishing sites and private property, and the fact that the tribe retains rights to 50% of the salmon harvest.

Longhouses

Cedar wood was incresasingly important for tribal life, and most things were made with cedar, including longhouses. An entire family group would be housed in a longhouse, and they typically used the space for drying salmon as well. There was a fireplace situated in the middle of the house, with an opening in the roof above it to release smoke.

Longhouses

Potlaches

Tribes would travel to the mouth of the river for celebrations and salmon harvests. One of the celebrations that commonly took place were called Potlaches. One family would host a great meal, inviting other families to feast with them. The families would then take the leftovers with them, to sustain them on their journeys home. Then each participant would host their own potlach, inviting the original families so that food and stories could be shared amongst them.

Fishing

Fishing was incredibly important to the tribes, and salmon in particular was a main source of food. Tribal ancestors used cedar nets for fishing for thousands of years, and today traditional fishing methods are still used. Historically, the tribe and original bands were considered wealthy because of their abundance of salmon. To this day, every year the fleets are blessed by the tribe's religious leaders, in a ritual known as "brushing off", where fisherman are blessed using cedar boughs. Today, the tribe manages their own fisheries for salmon, bottom fish, crabs, clams and shrimp.