William Shelton (Snohomish Indian)
Encyclopedia
William Shelton is the last hereditary chief of the Snohomish
in Tulalip
, Washington. He was also an author, a notable sculptor, and an emissary between the Snohomish people and the United States government.
During his lifetime, Shelton was one of the few Snohomish to speak both English (which he learned when he enrolled himself in a mission school) and Lushootseed
, the language of the Coast Salish
.
During his lifetime, Shelton carved a number of story poles (often mistakenly called totem pole
s), very few of which still remain. One of those remaining story poles was cut in half after it began to rot. The top half now stands on the grounds of the Tulalip Elementary School. Historical photos of the complete pole exist in the digitized holdings of the nearby Everett Public Library
.)
Shelton's 1925 book The Story of the Totem Pole or Indian Legends is subtitled "Early Indian Legends As Handed Down From Generation To Generation Are Herewith Recorded By Chief William Shelton Of Tulalip, Washington." The book is the only record of many legends of the Coast Salish
people. At a time when the US government sought to destroy all vestiges of Native American culture in the Pacific Northwest, Shelton was able to work out a deal with Washington State governor Roland Hartley wherein he was permitted to carve a story pole in exchange for his willingness to create a written record of the oral legends behind the figures he wished to carve on the pole.
At the time of Shelton's death in 1938, the 71-foot pole was still unfinished. Members of the tribe finished carving the pole on his behalf. That pole stood on the grounds of the state capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, until November 3rd, 2010, when it was removed due to safety concerns.
Shelton was married to Ruth Sehome Shelton (Siastenu), who survived him by 20 years, until Oct. 4, 1958. Ruth was a fluent speaker of Chinook
, a trade lingo derived from French, English, and Native American languages.
Snohomish
Snohomish can refer to:* Snohomish , a tribe of Native Americans* Snohomish, Washington, a city located in the county of the same name* Snohomish County, Washington* The Snohomish River in Washington...
in Tulalip
Tulalip
Tulalip is a group of Native American peoples from western Washington state in the United States. Today they are federally recognized as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation.- History :...
, Washington. He was also an author, a notable sculptor, and an emissary between the Snohomish people and the United States government.
During his lifetime, Shelton was one of the few Snohomish to speak both English (which he learned when he enrolled himself in a mission school) and Lushootseed
Lushootseed
Lushootseed is the language or dialect continuum of several SalishNative American groups of modern-day Washington state...
, the language of the Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
.
During his lifetime, Shelton carved a number of story poles (often mistakenly called totem pole
Totem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
s), very few of which still remain. One of those remaining story poles was cut in half after it began to rot. The top half now stands on the grounds of the Tulalip Elementary School. Historical photos of the complete pole exist in the digitized holdings of the nearby Everett Public Library
Everett Public Library
The Everett Public Library serves the residents of Everett, Washington. EPL operates a main library at 2702 Hoyt Avenue and the Evergreen branch, at 9512 Evergreen Way. The main library overlooks Puget Sound and the southern end of Whidbey Island. The library has noteworthy artworks, including...
.)
Shelton's 1925 book The Story of the Totem Pole or Indian Legends is subtitled "Early Indian Legends As Handed Down From Generation To Generation Are Herewith Recorded By Chief William Shelton Of Tulalip, Washington." The book is the only record of many legends of the Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
people. At a time when the US government sought to destroy all vestiges of Native American culture in the Pacific Northwest, Shelton was able to work out a deal with Washington State governor Roland Hartley wherein he was permitted to carve a story pole in exchange for his willingness to create a written record of the oral legends behind the figures he wished to carve on the pole.
At the time of Shelton's death in 1938, the 71-foot pole was still unfinished. Members of the tribe finished carving the pole on his behalf. That pole stood on the grounds of the state capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, until November 3rd, 2010, when it was removed due to safety concerns.
Shelton was married to Ruth Sehome Shelton (Siastenu), who survived him by 20 years, until Oct. 4, 1958. Ruth was a fluent speaker of Chinook
Chinookan languages
Chinookan is a small family of languages spoken in Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples.-Family division:Chinookan languages consists of three languages with multiple varieties. There is some dispute over classification, and there are two ISO 639-3 codes assigned: and...
, a trade lingo derived from French, English, and Native American languages.