The Quileute people are the focus of this portion of our web guide on American Indian and First Nations people.
Their traditional homelands stretched from the Pacific Coast to the glaciers of Mount Olympus in what is now Washington State.
Contemporary descendants of the Quileute people are represented by the Quileute Tribe of the Quileute Reservation on the northwestern Olympic Peninsula in Clallam County, Washington. Its main community is La Push. The reservation is at the mouth of the Quillayute River on the Pacific Coast. They moved onto the reservation under the terms of the Quinault Treaty in 1855. Since 1966, James Island has been included in the tribe's reserve land.
Other Quileute people are enrolled in the Quinault Indian Reservation, which includes Quinault, Queets, Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz peoples. The Quinault Reservation is bordered by the Olympic National Park on the Pacific Coast of the Olympic Peninsula. The largest community on the Quinault Reservation is Taholah.
The Hoh River Indians, federally recognized as the Hoh Tribe, are considered a band of the Quileutes but are recognized as a separate tribe. The Hoh Reservation consists of 443 acres, including about one mile of beachfront running ease from the mouth of the Hoh River, and south to Ruby Beach.
The Quileute language is in the Chimakuan family of languages, although it is an isolate, as the only related indigenous people to the Quileute, the Chimakum, were destroyed by Chief Seattle and the Suquamish people in the 1860s.
According to the Quileute creation story, the Quileutes were transformed from wolves by a wandering Transformer. Their only kindred, the Chimakum Tribe, were washed away by a flood and deposited near where Port Townsend now is, leaving the Quileutes with no known relatives on the Earth.
Traditional Quileute lifestyles were similar to that of other Northwest Coast tribes. They were oriented toward the ocean, although they also relied on fishing from local rivers. They built red cedar canoes that were used for transportation, trade, and whaling.
Rainproof skirts and capes woven from cedar bark protected them from the heavy rainfall in the region. They also bred wooly-haired dogs whose fur was used in making blankets.
The Quileute people lived in large rectangular homes, known as longhouses, made primarily from cedar wood. The structures had a single-pitched roof, whose steep slope shed rainwater efficiently. Walls were made of cedar planks or split cedar. Interiors were open and spacious, generally without partitions or separate rooms, and a central fire pit provided heat and light. Cedar platforms, placed along the walls, provided seating and sleeping spaces. House posts were often intricately carved with designs reminiscent of totems, representing family crests or important events. Carvings also held spiritual significance, connecting the. people to their ancestors and the natural world.
Villages were generally located near the ocean or rivers to allow easy access to fishing. Entrances faced the water, while the back of the homes were elevated on stilts.
Large structures served as homes for multiple families and were also used to host ceremonies, feasts, and other gatherings, such as storytelling.
Quileute society was organized into house groups, each occupying one of the larger houses at the mouths of the Quillayute or Hoh rivers. Each house had a chief, nobility, and commoners.
The first encounters that the Quileutes had were probably with the crews of European ships in the Pacific Ocean. Quileaute tradition is that their first encounter was with Spanish sailors who shipwrecked somewhere north of La Push. Another early encounter was with the crew of a Spanish schooner that involved some trading but culminated in a conflict in which several Quileute and six Spaniards were killed or enslaved.
In 1855, the Quileute signed the Treaty of Olympia, in which they ceded large amounts of land and agreed to move onto the Quinault Reservation. In 1889, President Cleveland gave the Quileute tribe the La Push reservation.
Websites representing tribal governments to which the Quileute are a part are appropriate for this category, along with tribal enterprises, schools, museums, medical facilities, organizations, and events. Businesses owned by Quileute individuals may also be listed here.
Recommended Resources
The Hoh Tribe is a federally recognized American Indian tribe that is considered a band of the Quileutes but recognized as a separate tribe. The Hoh Indians' livelihood is primarily fishing, although some residents make traditional decorative baskets or carve canoes for ocean-going or river use. The tribal website features the history of the tribe and discusses cultural resources, oral traditions of the tribe, its language, and natural resources. Job opportunities and contacts are included.
https://hohtribe-nsn.org/
A project of the Quileute Tribe, Move to Higher Ground is a comprehensive program to relocate its critical community facilities and future housing to the safety of lands above the reach of tsunami waves and flood waters. Its website features modern tribal history, culture, and traditions, and offers several photographs and a map showing current and upcoming projects. News reports on the tribe are documented, information on tax-deductible donations, and contacts are provided on the site.
https://mthg.org/
The Quileute Dictionary is a contemporary dictionary for a very old language. It is intended for Quileute children and as a reference for adults. While created for Quileute people, non-Quileute people are welcome to access these resources as well. The website also commemorates the heritage language of the Quileute people. Quileute words can be 20 syllables long, and its alphabet, featured here, was developed by the Quileute Cultural Committee in the late 1960s.
http://www.quileutelanguage.com/
Owned and operated by the Quileute Nation, the resort and recreational vehicle park offers fifteen deluxe oceanfront cabins, eighteen standard cabins, two motel units, ten camper cabins, a campground, and two full-service RV parks. The locations, accommodations, and amenities are featured on the website, along with event facilities, local attractions, and promotional offers. Directions, a phone number, email address, and online bookings are available.
https://quileuteoceanside.com/
QTS is a Quileute school in La Push, Washington. It serves kindergarten through twelfth grade. QTS is affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education, has a compact with the State of Washington, and receives a grant from the BIE. The school was founded in 1979 and is accredited by AdvancED. Its school board, faculty, staff, and administrative offices are featured, along with its academic and community programs and services, family, student, and staff resources, and contacts.
https://qtschools.org/
The QIN is a federally recognized American Indian tribe and sovereign nation consisting of descendants of the Quinault, Queets, Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz people. The tribal website provides an overview of its land, government, and plans for the future, along with several photographs. Membership information, fishing and hunting experiences, and tribal enterprises are featured, and its emergency management programs are included, along with announcements.
https://www.quinaultindiannation.com/
The official newsletter of the Quileute Tribe is published at the beginning of every month, including news stories, elder biographies, announcements, photographs, and information about Quileute history and traditions. The most recent issue may be downloaded and viewed in PDF format, on which readers can learn of tribal events and other activities on tribal lands, birthday notices, job openings, election information, and a calendar of events. Contacts are included.
https://talkingraven.org/
