Lower Skagit (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Lower Skagits are a tribe
of the Lushootseed Native American
people living in the state of Washington.
times, the tribe occupied approximately 56300 acres (227.8 km²) of land, including land on central Whidbey Island
from Dugula Bay south to Holmes Harbor (including sites at Maylor Point, Penn Cove and Coupeville
), as well as sites on the mainland around the mouth of the Skagit River
. The Lower Skagit had conflicts with Haida from the north, who would raid their camps for slaves, as well as Klallam
from the other side of the Puget Sound
, who tried to occupy their lands.
Like other Coast Salish tribes, the Lower Skagit were semi-sedentary, the life revolving around the food they could harvest from the sea, such as salmon
, through use of fish weirs
, as well as nets dragged between two canoes, and hunting duck, seals and deer. This diet was supplemented by cultivation of camas roots
, nettles, bracken, and after white contact, potatoes.
. By the 1840s, Roman Catholic missionaries were trying to convert the Lower Skagit to their beliefs. During the United States Exploring Expedition
the explorer Charles Wilkes
made contact in 1841 (at which point he estimated the population at 650), he found Lower Skagits building a church. In January 1855, a Lower Skagit chief named Goliah signed the Treaty of Point Elliott
, which placed the estimated 300 tribal members under jurisdiction of the Tulalip Agency. In September 1873, an executive order moved the tribe, along with members of the Swinomish
and other tribes to the Swinomish Reservation on Fidalgo Island
in Skagit County, Washington
. On October 13, 1971, the Indian Claims Commission ordered US$
74,856.50 to be paid to the Lower Skagits to cover the amount of land that they had lost as a result of the Point Elliott Treaty.
resident population of 2,664 persons, only about 23 percent of whom were of solely Native American heritage.
Today, Lower Skagit members that live on the reservation are primarily commercial fishers by trade.
dialect.
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
of the Lushootseed Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
people living in the state of Washington.
Pre-Contact
In pre-ContactEuropean colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
times, the tribe occupied approximately 56300 acres (227.8 km²) of land, including land on central Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
from Dugula Bay south to Holmes Harbor (including sites at Maylor Point, Penn Cove and Coupeville
Coupeville, Washington
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,723 people, 737 households, and 426 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,346.7 people per square mile . There were 814 housing units at an average density of 636.2 per square mile...
), as well as sites on the mainland around the mouth of the Skagit River
Skagit River
The Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...
. The Lower Skagit had conflicts with Haida from the north, who would raid their camps for slaves, as well as Klallam
Klallam
Klallam refers to four related indigenous Native American/First Nations communities from the Pacific Northwest of North America. The Klallam culture is classified ethnographically and linguistically in the Coast Salish subgroup...
from the other side of the Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
, who tried to occupy their lands.
Like other Coast Salish tribes, the Lower Skagit were semi-sedentary, the life revolving around the food they could harvest from the sea, such as salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, through use of fish weirs
Fishing weir
A fishing weir, or fish weir, is an obstruction placed in tidal waters or wholly or partially across a river, which is designed to hinder the passage of fish. Traditionally they were built from wood or stones. They can be used to trap fish...
, as well as nets dragged between two canoes, and hunting duck, seals and deer. This diet was supplemented by cultivation of camas roots
Camassia
Camassia is a genus of six species native to western North America, from southern British Columbia to northern California, and east to Utah, Wyoming and Montana...
, nettles, bracken, and after white contact, potatoes.
Post-Contact
During the fur trading era, Lower Skagits were active in trading at posts of the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. By the 1840s, Roman Catholic missionaries were trying to convert the Lower Skagit to their beliefs. During the United States Exploring Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
the explorer Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
made contact in 1841 (at which point he estimated the population at 650), he found Lower Skagits building a church. In January 1855, a Lower Skagit chief named Goliah signed the Treaty of Point Elliott
Treaty of Point Elliott
The Treaty of Point Elliott of 1855, or the Point Elliott Treaty,—also known as Treaty of Point Elliot / Point Elliott Treaty—is the lands settlement treaty between the United States government and the nominal Native American tribes of the greater Puget Sound region in the recently-formed...
, which placed the estimated 300 tribal members under jurisdiction of the Tulalip Agency. In September 1873, an executive order moved the tribe, along with members of the Swinomish
Swinomish (tribe)
The Swinomish are an historically Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives in the southeastern part of Fidalgo Island near the San Juan Islands in Skagit County, Washington. Skagit County is located about north of Seattle...
and other tribes to the Swinomish Reservation on Fidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass...
in Skagit County, Washington
Skagit County, Washington
Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Skagit Indian tribe. As of 2010, the population was 116,901. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. On October 13, 1971, the Indian Claims Commission ordered US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
74,856.50 to be paid to the Lower Skagits to cover the amount of land that they had lost as a result of the Point Elliott Treaty.
Swinomish Reservation
The Swinomish Indian Reservation has a land area of 31.381 km² (12.116 sq mi) and a 2000 censusUnited States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
resident population of 2,664 persons, only about 23 percent of whom were of solely Native American heritage.
Today, Lower Skagit members that live on the reservation are primarily commercial fishers by trade.
Language
The Lower Skagit language is a subdialect of the Northern LushootseedLushootseed
Lushootseed is the language or dialect continuum of several SalishNative American groups of modern-day Washington state...
dialect.
Sources
- Bennett, Lee Ann. Effects of white contact on the Lower Skagit Indians, Seattle, Washington Archaeological Society, 1972.
- Ruby, Robert H.; John A. Brown (1986). A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest, The Civilization of the American Indian. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0806124792. pages 107-109.
- Jan Halliday;Gail Chehak. Native Peoples of the Northwest: A Traveler's Guide to Land, Art, and Culture, Sasquatch Books, 1996, p.74.
- Van Eijk, Jan. The Lillooet Language: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, UBC Press, 1985, p.xxiv.
- Idaho State University Museum. Occasional Papers of the Idaho State University Museum, 1958.