Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula: Who We Are

by Jacilee Wray (Editor)

The nine Native tribes of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula—the Hoh, Skokomish, Squaxin Island, Lower Elwha Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Quinault, Quileute, and Makah—share complex histories of trade, religion, warfare, and kinship, as well as reverence for the teaching of elders. However, each indigenous nation’s relationship to the Olympic Peninsula is unique. Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula: Who We Are traces the nine tribes’ common history and each tribe’s individual story.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Native Americans, Indigenous, Anthropology

170 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2014

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely learned a lot from this book and am happy I read it. Very informative on the various “treaties” of the peninsula and of the different cultures among the groups of indigenous peoples, but truly just the very beginning of my learning. Excited to go back over the suggested readings and find more resources to learn about the history of and current activities of the indigenous people in this area

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful and well thought out introduction to our neighbors here in Washington. I've spent some time with friends out at the Quileute reservation and wanted to learn more about the peninsular peoples and their history. This book, put out by a cooperative effort between tribal councils, leaders, and elders, is a helpful primer to people looking to learn. It includes maps of each tribe's lands and historical presence, commentary on language and orthography, introductions to common cultural practices and arts, and some usually pretty depressing history regarding treaties, resettlement, and how the reservations came to take their modern form. It's positive in focus when it is possible to be, discussing the skills and accomplishments of tribal members despite the weight of colonialist history, but it doesn't shy away from the ugly things that happened either. It just doesn't let those events define the lives of the peoples that it's celebrating. Much appreciated!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad to have found this in the bookstore at Seabrook (https://www.facebook.com/joiedeslivre..., if you ever need a great beach bookstore)! I've recently relocated to the Olympic Peninsula, and had not found many readily accessible options for tribal history, so this book, by the Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee, was a great addition to resources I've been collecting. There are chapters by S'Klallam, Skokomish, Squaxin Island, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, and Makah tribal members, and each chapter covers so much ground - everything from origin myths, historical and ongoing cultural traditions and events, to treaty signing (which, on the part of the U.S. government, was in bad faith from the beginning and then shamefully and criminally additionally exploitative), and the status of language maintenance. This is 4/5 stars because I wish it was longer! As it is, however, this would be a lovely guide for someone visiting the Olympic Peninsula. Each chapter includes opportunities for visitors to engage with each tribe, their history, and the land they steward.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I work for the North Olympic Land Trust, which serves Clallam County, WA. Our staff decided to read the Intro, and the chapters on the Makah Tribe, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and discuss what we learned. Should be an interesting discussion on 7/26.

So I didn’t read the whole book, but I might finish it someday. I’ve already read all of it once, sometime in 2009 when I first moved here.

If you want to learn about the Tribes of the Olympic Peninsula, this is a good read. It’s not a long book either. The writing isn’t as high quality as some of the reading I do. I read Pulitzer Prize winning authors and provocative best selling books, both fiction and non-fiction. The writing is not of that caliber, but it’s good nonetheless.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for any non-Indigenous person who recreates on the Olympic Peninsula, really.

[julianna lindo · Rating 4 out of 5]

gratitude smiles and interesting

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief history and summary of the peoples of the Olympic Peninsula. I enjoyed it.