The Chehalis people are a group of tribes who inhabited the Chehalis River and its tributaries on Grays Harbor in western Washington State.
Ts-a-lis (place of sand) or Chi-ke-lis (shifting sands) is the Lower Chehalis term for a historic village at what is now Westport. European explorers pronounced the word "Chehalis". They gave this name to the river and the people living near it, who became the Chehalis people.
There were once seven Chehalis villages on the north side of the bay and eight on the south side, as well as a few on the north end of Shoalwater Bay.
There were two divisions of the Chehalis people, speaking languages that were not mutually intelligible. The confluence of the Chehalis River and the Satsop River separated the two divisions.
The Upper Chehalis (Kwaiailk) hunted the mountains and across the prairies, and they fished the Upper Chehalis, Black, Cowlitz, Newaukum, Satsop, and Skookumchuck rivers, while the Lower Chehalis fished the Middle and Lower Chehalis, Elk, Hoquiam, Humptulips, Johns, Niawiakum, North, Palix, Wishkay, Willapa, and Wynoochee rivers to Grays Harbor, and in the Lowe Puget Sound.
While fish was a staple of the diet of all Chehalis groups, the Upper Chehalis hunted for deer and elk more so than the Lower Chehalis, particularly after they adopted the horse sometime prior to 1800. They also depended more on wild plants and edible vegetables and fruits. Sub-tribes or villages of the Upper Chehalis included the Satsop and the Kwaiailk. The Satsop people are now part of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation. Some descendants of the Kwaiailk people are enrolled in the Confederated Tribes, while others are part of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, some of whom now identify as Cowlitz.
The Lower Chehalis were made up of several smaller sub-tribes or villages, the largest of which were the Copalis, Humptulips, and Wynoochee, each named for the rivers they inhabited. Villages included Hli'mtimi, Hooshkai, Hoquiam, Kishkallen, Klimmim, Kpleich, Kwapks, Mo'niltimsh, Nooachhummik, Nookalthu, and Whiskah. Most Copalis people are now part of the Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation, while others are enrolled with the Confederated Tribes. Humptulips people are part of the Quinault Tribe, the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, or the Confederated Tribes. Wynoochee descendants are enrolled in either the Confederated Tribes or the Quinault Tribe.
Seemingly, the Chehalis people are not closely related to the Sts'Ailes people, represented by the Sts'Ailes Nation, although the British Columbia tribe was formerly known as the Chehalis First Nation or the Chehalis Indian Band. Both are Coast Salish people, but the tribes deny an ethnic or historical relationship.
Traditionally, some of the Chehalish people, particularly the Upper Chehalish, lived in cedar plank longhouses with the whole family. They hunted, fished, and gathered edibles, which provided for their needs.
Everything changed shortly after European-Americans arrived, however. Under the terms of the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, the Chehalis Nation was recognized as a sovereign nation guaranteed certain rights and privileges, but they ceded large tracts of land to the United States government. The Chehalis people retained the right to hunt, fish, and gather food on the ceded land, but only when it didn't interfere with European-American settlers, most of whom had differing ideas regarding land ownership and rights.
In 1873, the U.S. government reneged on its promises, and the Chehalis Tribe was forced to move to a reservation near Gray's Harbor, Washington. In 1928, the federal government terminated the Chehalis Tribe, taking away their federal recognition and most of their land.
In the modern age, the Chehalis people took their fight to Congress and the court system. Subsequently, the Chehalis Tribe was officially re-recognized by the federal government when the Chehalis Restoration Act was passed in 1975.
While many of the descendants of the Chehalis people are now enrolled in other tribes, efforts are underway to preserve Chehalis culture and language. Classes, workshops, and seminars have been arranged to promote the preservation of their traditional languages, while other programs allow elders to mentor younger generations in their culture and language.
This portion of our web guide on American Indians focuses on the Chehalis people. Websites representing tribes, recognized or unrecognized, with substantial percentages of enrolled Chehalis members, as well as tribal businesses, enterprises, schools, medical facilities, museums, organizations, and events, are appropriate for this category. Businesses and organizations owned by Chehalis individuals may be listed here, as well.
Recommended Resources
Owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, Burger Claim is a restaurant that promises fresh and local food using potatoes from Washington and Idaho in its fries and Canola oil in its frying. Its location, hours of operation, menu, and calendar of events are published on the site, along with a gallery of photographs and employment opportunities, an application, an online contact form, and a third-party site allowing orders to be placed online for later pickup.
https://www.burgerclaim.com/
This is a second tribal website representing the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, which is made up of the Upper Chehalis, Lower Chehalis, Cowlitz, Satsop, and Qualioqua peoples. These people lived, hunted, and fished from the headwaters of the Chehalis River to Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay and from the area of Olympia in the north to the Cowlitz River in the south. Created in 1864, the reservation is at the confluence of the Chehalis and Black Rivers.
https://www.chehalis-nsn.gov/
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, The
The federally recognized tribe in southwestern Washington consists of descendants of the Upper and Lower Chehalis, Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Quinault peoples, all part of the Northern Straits branch of the Coast Salish peoples. The tribal website includes historical information and stories, applications for a tribal member's license plate, administrative and departmental contacts, tribal businesses and enterprises, job openings, and announcements.
https://www.chehalistribe.org/
The clinic, located in Tumwater, Washington, offers personalized medication-assisted treatment and behavioral health therapy, a comprehensive treatment plan, and relapse prevention strategies for a substance-free future. Its address, hours of operation, contacts, and an overview of its services are provided, along with patient eligibility requirements and information, career opportunities and current job openings, and contacts for its crisis hotline.
https://hopeandhealingclinic.com/
Project Muse: Chehalis Stories
Project Muse collaborates with libraries, publishers, and scholars to promote creating and disseminating essential resources. Here, it offers the content of a book by Jolynn Amrine Goertz, published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2018, in which she and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation have assembled a collaborative volume of traditional stories collected by Franz Boas from tribal knowledge keepers in the early 20th century. It may be downloaded by chapter.
https://muse.jhu.edu/book/57228
The Quinault Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Quinault, Queets, Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz peoples, all of whom are Southwestern Coast Salish people of the Pacific Northwest. The Quinault Reservation was established after the U.S. Department of Interior spent $59 million buying back traditional Native lands to put in trust for the tribe at this reservation. The tribal government, including the Tribal Council and Tribal Courts, are highlighted.
https://www.quinaultindiannation.com/
Descendants of the Willapa Chinook, Lower Chehalis, and the Northern Athabaskan-speaking Willapa, the Shoalwater Bay Tribe lives on the southwest coast of Washington in northwestern Pacific County, along the shores of Willapa Bay. The Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation is just west of Tokeland. The tribal government is introduced, along with the Tribal Council, Tribal Court, and Tribal Police. Its operations, programs, and events are posted on the website.
https://www.shoalwaterbay-nsn.gov/
The Shoalwater Bay Tribe is a federally recognized tribe whose members are descendants of the Willapa Chinook, Lower Chehalis, and Kwalhioqua Willapa peoples. This is an independent community website for members of the tribe offering news, reports on tribal issues and projects, historical information, heritage features, and an overview of contemporary and historic reservation life. A profile of the tribe is presented, and an email address is provided for further inquiries.
https://shoalwaterbaytribe.com/
Owned by the Chehalis Tribe, partnered with Heritage Distilling Company, Talking Cedar is a Pacific Northwest destination brewery, distillery, restaurant, tap room, and tasting room that features craft beer and spirits, as well as upscale food. Located in Grand Mound, Washington, the facility includes a 16,000 square-foot tasting room and distillery, with eight fermentation tanks for producing HDC Spirits and hand sanitizer, as well as a sixty-barrel production floor for brewing beer.
https://talkingcedar.com/
