Olympic Peninsula - Native Cultures

Transcription

1 Olympic Peninsula - Native Cultures Shi Shi Ozette 3 rd Beach Oil City

2 Tribes of Olympic Peninsula - Historical

3 4 Tribes/Bands on the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula Makah Ozette Quileute Hoh

4 Makah In their language, the Makah means "people of the cape". Archeological evidence indicates that they have lived on the Olympic Peninsula for well over 2000 years.

5 Ozette The Ozette Indians were a part of the Makah group who had come from the west coast of Vancouver Island and settled on the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula. Their population gradually diminished until there was only one Ozette Indian remaining alive in 1937.

6 Quileute & Hoh The Quileute occupied the Quilleute and the Hoh river valleys. The Hoh were originally a band of the Quileute tribe.

7 Quileute & Hoh The Quileute relied on salmon as their staple food. That said, they were "second only to the Makah" as whalers.

8 Makah Villages Village placements were near the ocean for both winter and summer. Winter villages of the Makah averaged 200 inhabitants each and 8-15 houses. Summer villages were established for whaling and halibut fishing, the major food source.

9 Makah Villages

10 Whale & Fish Drying Racks The roofs of their houses were specially designed for the air-drying of thinly sliced halibut and whale meat.

11 Quileute Villages Summer villages were established on the coast, for fishing and whaling. Unlike the Makah, the Quileute s winter villages were along the Hoh and Quileute River valleys away from the ocean. Winter villages along these two rivers extended miles upriver

12 Makah Myths Hohoeapbess, the Two Men Who Changed Things. They were brothers of the sun and moon, who brought balance to the world by using their powers to change people, animals, and the landscape into the forms they have today. Raven: Raven is both the hero and clown of the Makah. He is a benevolent figure who helps the people, but at the same time, he is also a trickster spirit. Many Raven stories have to do with his frivolous behavior that gets him into trouble.

13 Makah Myths Basket Ogress (Sxwayok in the Makah language) A giant cannibal monster who catches human children and carries them off in her enormous pack basket.

14 Quileute Creation Myth According to oral traditions, the first Quileute people were changed from a pair of wolves into human form by the Transformer, Kwati. Because of the creation legend, wolf imagery is prominent in Quileute art, and to this day, the tribe continues to enact masked dances to honor the original supernatural connection to wolves.

15 Quileute According to their ancient creation story, the Quileutes were changed from wolves by a wandering Transformer. By legend, their only kindred, the Chimakum Tribe, were washed away by flood and deposited near present-day Port Townsend (where they lived until Chief Seattle's Suquamish Tribe wiped them out in the 1860s).

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17 Quileute Quileutes were thus were surrounded by unrelated tribes Makah -- Nuh-Chul-Nuth who migrated down from the west coast of Vancouver Island S'Klallam to the northeast along the Strait of Juan de Fuca;. Quinault, south at Taholah, both descended from the Salishan.

18 Quileutes Relations with the neighboring tribes allowed for trade, intermarriage of nobility, and the ostentatious ceremony -- the potlatch -- an honoring giveaway celebration and redistribution of wealth. Occasionally, however, controversy over trespassing caused outbursts of warfare or slave raiding.

19 Quileute Thousands of winters before the arrival of the White Drifting-House people (ho-kwats), the Quileute Indians and the ghosts of their ancestors lived and hunted here. For as long as the ageless memory of legend recalls, the Quileutes flourished in the territory which originally stretched from their Pacific beaches along the rain forest rivers to the glaciers of Mt. Olympus. Today, Quileutes need only lift their eyes to see the burial place of chiefs atop James Island, or A-Ka-Lat -- translated as "Top of the Rock".

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21 Food Sources Makah, Ozette, Quileute Halibut and whale meat. Codfish, and "cultus" or bastard cod all ranked behind halibut and whale in importance. Salmon was important to the Quileute. All of these fish were taken with a hook-and-line technique, net fishing, and weirs Shellfish were not of great importance. Large land animals were "seldom hunted. Sea-birds were taken in quantity at times as were fur seals, sea lions, porpoises, and a variety of other marine resources.

22 Quileute Depending upon season and local conditions, net fishing was associated with the lower river and weir/trap fishing with points further upriver.

23 Whaling

24 Whaling

25 Whales as a Resource It is believed that whale meat accounted for 80% of the food consumed by the Makah. Makah hunted both Humpback & Gray Whales - Humpbacks for food - Gray whales for the oil. - They traded oil with other tribes as well as the European and American vessels

26 Whaling as a Way of Life When explorers arrived, in the late 18th century, they immediately recognized the Makah as an extremely lucrative trading partner. Europeans began trading copper for whale oil and whale bone as soon as they came into contact.

27 Whaling as a Source of Tribal Power Trade was very beneficial for the Makah. Because they were so skilled in whaling and whale products were highly sought after, Europeans did not interfere with the Makah or intrude on their lands. Makah enjoyed a good deal of autonomy and respect.

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29 Makah Whaling Prior to the hunt, Makah tribesman would ritually bathe themselves in the icy waters of the Pacific. They would rub their skin raw on sharp mussels and barnacles. Cedar whaling canoes seated 6-9 people. They often covered miles during a single whale hunt.

30 Makah Whaling By counting the whale's exhalations, the hunters were able to determine when the whale was about to dive. The harpoon strike occurred moments before the whale would dive. The harpooner strikes when the whale is 3-4 feet below the surface.

31 Makah Whaling The harpoon is feet long, composed of two pieces of yew wood spliced together. A mussel shell tip was used with barbs from elk horns. While the line remains held fast to the whale, the harpoon shaft comes loose, to be recovered later. Seal skin floats are then attached to the line. This produces sufficient drag to weaken the whale. With the whale exhausted, a series of smaller lances were then used to kill the animal.

32 Makah Whaling A diver would plunge into the icy water and sew the giant's mouth shut, preventing air from escaping during the tow back to the village. When the whale arrived on the beach, the whole village clamored towards the scene. The whale meat and blubber would be divided up among the villagers according to a strict tribal hierarchy.

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35 Makah Whaling If it was a humpback, most of the whale would be eaten. The meat along saddle of the whale was the most prized section. For the wives of the hunters, there was genuine relief on their return. During the entirety of the hunt they had been instructed to remain motionless in their beds, not eating, sleeping or talking.

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