Suquamish Museum Tour
Twenty-two inquisitive St. Barnabas Church parishioners, friends, and relatives gathered to have a curator guided tour of the Suquamish Tribal Museum, Wednesday, July 22. The insights and knowledge about the tribe shared by the curator really enhanced the experience.
We were fortunate that a new exhibit had just opened a few weeks earlier that captured how native youth are mentored by their elders both historically and in contemporary times. In their matriarchal society, women have played a key leadership role that continues to this day. These enablers, mentors and leaders are affectionately called, “Aunties.” In addition to the informal education by Aunties, the small tribal school (pre-school through high school) provides both basic contemporary curriculum in addition to educating about tribal customs, philosophy, language and fishing/gathering skills.
The Squamish were fortunate to be participants in the Treaty of Elliott Bay (1855) that granted them sovereign nation status. Other tribes in the Salish Sea area, like the Duwamish, have yet to attain this key recognition. Three things are unique in the treaty:
guaranteed fishing & seafood rights
freed slaves
trade with Vancouver Island was not permitted (Vancouver Island was still part of Britain, a major competitor to the new U.S. nation). The treaty reduced the tribal land dramatically from its wide-flung Kitsap, King, Snohomish and Thurston County coastal locations to the small area near the present-day town of Suquamish. While several key promises in the treaty were reneged on by the U.S. Government, ultimately the ability to fully self-govern has been realized. They no longer depend on federal agencies to provide laws, law enforcement, court system, education or health services. They are truly independent and a proud sovereign nation.
The Suquamish have lived for several thousands of years in the Salish Sea (Puget Sound) area. Their customs and language have survived through an oral tradition and until only recently been captured in written form. Many challenges to their culture surviving were perpetrated by Europeans, Russians, Brits and the United States, including:
foreign disease that decimated the native population (upwards of 90%).
mandatory enrollment of all youth in Boarding Schools (5-18 yrs. old) that prohibited using their native tongue and attempted to eliminate their cultural heritage.
laws prohibiting cultural traditions being expressed (in 1978 the law was finally repealed). Despite these massive barriers, their leaders sought to find harmony with the non-native people, often providing key assistance in business endeavors. They are survivors and a very resilient nation, worthy of respect!
So much could be discussed about their culture, but I will only highlight a few areas and encourage you to visit the museum to learn more:
The cedar tree was crucial in many ways:
Roots were woven into baskets for various purposes, eg. Cooking, cleaning seafood, gathering food, transporting water, etc.
Bark was instrumental for clothing and ritual ornaments, eg. headdresses
Tree trunks provided canoes- a key transportation vehicle and for fishing
Medicinal needs
Raw lumber for building permanent communal shelters, eg. longhouses (100’s of feet long!) or temporary summer lodgings
Woven into nets and large fishing snares for fishing behind canoes
Wooly dogs, a now-extinct domesticated dog, was reared to provide natural fiber for a variety of uses, eg. baskets, clothing, etc. Alternative natural fiber sources, like mountain goats were also used. Sometimes it would take years to collect sufficient raw fiber to create one single item, like a blanket… which, not surprisingly, led to the high value of such items.
Traditional religion was focused on living in harmony with nature and belief that key natural entities, eg. otters, could shift-shape to meet the needs of the those in the “real world”. Interestingly, early Catholic priests visiting the area were impressed that the native population were often already embracing “modern” religion and could recite hymns by rote… oral tradition and belief in a supernatural presence were impactful, even if from a foreign source.
Seafood and fishing were key to survival. Salmon, clams, mussels, etc. were a key protein source. Edible plants, roots and berries were used for both food, medicine and fabric dyes. Cattails and tule were used for both mats and temporary shelter screens from the elements.
The Suquamish Nation is rightfully proud of their heritage and resilience to become a very successful sovereign nation. We should applaud their progress to self-sufficiency, acknowledge the hardships imposed by our ancestors on them and seek ways to develop a mutually beneficial partnership. We have much to learn from them!
—Phil Fergusson