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[Illustration: · THE · DISCOVERY · FIRST · VISIT · ON · PUGET · SOUND ·
1792 · OFF · BLAKELY · ROCKS ·· BY · RAPHAEL · COOMBS ··· 1895 ·
VANCOUVER’S SHIP DISCOVEROR.]
THE SIWASH
THEIR
LIFE LEGENDS AND TALES
[Illustration]
PUGET SOUND AND PACIFIC NORTHWEST
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
BY J. A. COSTELLO
[Illustration]
SEATTLE
THE CALVERT COMPANY
716 FRONT STREET
1895
COPYRIGHT, 1895, BY
J. A. COSTELLO
AND
SAMUEL F. COOMBS
PREFACE
The excuse for this book is that it is the first attempt to depict the
life or ethnology of the maze of Indian tribes on Puget Sound, and it is
believed, will be found not wholly uninteresting. It has been the aim to
attain as nearly the facts in every instance as possible which in any way
lead to a proper understanding of the natives of the country as they were
found by the first whites to arrive. Mika mam-ook mika tum-tum de-late
wa-wa. Ko-pet mika ip-soot halo mika tum-tum ko-pa o-coke. De-late wa-wa
mika tum-tum, nan-ich Sahg-a-lie Tyee; my heart speaks truthful and I
hide nothing I know concerning the things of which I speak. My talk is
truthful as God sees me.
From the old pioneer and the more intelligent native have all the
material facts been drawn, and as these opportunities will not endure for
many years longer it is the belief and hope that this work will find an
enduring place in the home and public libraries.
For material aid in the compilation of the historical and pictorial
matter of this work the author is indebted to Samuel F. Coombs, one
of the few pioneers who has a genuine interest in the preservation of
the life and habits and traditions of the aboriginees; H. A. Smith, of
Smith’s cove; Rev. Myron Eels for valuable information and assistance,
touching the Skokomish Indians; Edward Morse, son of Eldridge Morse, than
whom, probably none have a truer insight into the mysteries of early
Indian life on the Sound; E. H. Brown, and to W. S. Phillips, F. Leather
and Raphael Coombs, artists.
SEATTLE, December 14, 1895.
CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER I
A bit of history 1
CHAPTER II
Fifty-four forty or fight 4
CHAPTER III
Pioneers of the forties 6
CHAPTER IV
Siwash characteristics 10
CHAPTER V
The Flathead group 13
CHAPTER VI
The Chinook la lang 15
CHAPTER VII
Traditions of Vancouver’s appearance 17
CHAPTER VIII
The Old-Man-House tribe 19
CHAPTER IX
The Twana or Skokomish tribe 33
CHAPTER X
Do-Ka-Batl, a great spirit 46
CHAPTER XI
Their game of sing-gamble 51
CHAPTER XII
Twana Thunderbird 53
CHAPTER XIII
Superstition their religion 57
CHAPTER XIV
Their daily existence 62
CHAPTER XV
Legend of the first frog 69
CHAPTER XVI
Another man in the moon 71
CHAPTER XVII
S’Beow and his grandmother 72
CHAPTER XVIII
The demon Skana 74
CHAPTER XIX
The fall of Snoqualm 75
CHAPTER XX
Legend of the Stick-pan 77
CHAPTER XXI
The magic blanket 79
CHAPTER XXII
Legend of Flathead origin 81
CHAPTER XXIII
Legend of the first flood 82
CHAPTER XXIV
Origin of the sun and moon 83
CHAPTER XXV
Skobia the skunk 84
CHAPTER XXVI
The extinct Shilshoh tribe 86
CHAPTER XXVII
Quinaiults and Quillayutes 90
CHAPTER XXVIII
Tradition of a great Indian battle 99
CHAPTER XXIX
Sealth and allied tribes 102
CHAPTER XXX
The Makah tribe 115
CHAPTER XXXI
Footprints of unknown travelers 122
CHAPTER XXXII
Some neighborly tribes 124
CHAPTER XXXIII
Totemism and superstitions 132
CHAPTER XXXIV
Mythology and native history 139
CHAPTER XXXV
Yalth and the butterfly 142
CHAPTER XXXVI
Potlatch and Devil dance 145
CHAPTER XXXVII
The T’Klinkits and Aleuts 148
CHAPTER XXXVIII
The Indian and the south wind 156
CHAPTER XXXIX
Pleasure and profit in the marsh 159
CHAPTER XL
Indians in the hop fields 162
CHAPTER XLI
Legend of the crucifixion 166
CHAPTER XLII
Romance in real life 168
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Vancouver’s ship (frontispiece) PAGE
On the Sound 3
Sunlight on the water 9
Typical Siwash face 10
A Klootchman 11
La Belle Klootchman 12
Launching 16
Paddling 18
All that’s left of Old-Man-House 20
Wm. Deshaw 22
Grand potlatch 25
Old-Man-House village 28
Digging clams 32
Guardian spirit Totem 41
Wolf mask 42
Wolf mask 44
Bowl and spoon, by Twana Indians 47
Vignette of Chief Seattle 50
Night around the sing-gamble 53
The Twana Thunderbird mask 54
Box made of slate, carving 56
Thunderbird, Dakotah Indians 58
Ojibwa, flying Thunderbird 59
Haida Thunderbird head 60
Ojibwa Thunderer 61
Building Siwash canim 63
Symbolic drawing 68
Indian implements 76
Face mask of Twanas 83
Charm mask 84
Stone and copper war clubs 85
Quinaiults hunting the hair seal 97
Copper and iron daggers 99
Twana war clubs 100
A Quinaiult hut 101
Chief Sealth 102
Oldest house in King county 110
Duke of York 112
East Indian carving 113
Canoe head Totem 114
Totem column, northern Indian 126
The bear mother 129
Haida child dance at Houkan 130
Haida Thundermask 133
Skamson the Thunderer 137
Corner of Houkan village 138
Haida grave-yard 140
Mrs. Schooltka 143
Silver and copper ornaments 144
Quinaiult tribesman 147
Yakutat Alaska 149
Volcano of Boguslof 151
Kodiak Alaska 153
“Kla-how-ya” 157
Spearing the hair seal 158
Indian duck hunting 160
Klootchman gathering rushes 161
An educated Indian 163
Stone hatchets 164
Sea otter lookout 165
Beaver marsh 167
THE SIWASH
CHAPTER I
A BIT OF HISTORY
Early explorations of the Northwest coast now embraced in the limits of
the state of Washington came after the discovery and occupation of the
coast further south. Unlike the Mexican and California conquests it was
devoid of wild and extravagant fact or fancy. There is found in the old
annals no mention of barbaric splendor, no great empires or extensive
cities, no magnificent spoils to be carried away.
The Spaniards first laid claim to the island of Vancouver in 1774. During
the war of the Revolution, when England was occupied with her rebellious
subjects on the Atlantic sea board, Perez Heceta and other Spanish
navigators, explored and took possession, in the name of their sovereign,
of the largest island on the Pacific coast.
What is now the straits of Juan de Fuca, or at that time Anian, had been
explored by trading vessels from Spanish settlements along the Mexican
coast, and doubtless by navigators of other nationalities, but it was
not until near the close of the eighteenth century that the Northwest
coast became disputed territory between Spaniards, English, Russians and
Americans. In 1688, Martinez and Haro were dispatched by the government
to the Pacific Northwest, to guard their newly claimed possessions, and
here in the following year, Martinez seized a couple of English craft
and immediately embroiled his parental country in a serious dispute with
Great Britain. This was the initial movement in that spirited competition
between the two rival nations which only ended when the Spaniards finally
succumbed to British diplomacy and betook themselves to their southern
possessions.
Captain Cook, the English navigator, who later fell a victim to the
savage inhabitants of the Sandwich islands, was sent over by his
government a few years after the Spanish occupation of the island,
to discover, if possible a northwest passage which should unite the
widely separated waters of the Atlantic and Pacific. Cook perpetuated
the memory of this voyage by giving names to a number of capes and
promontories, chief of which is Cape Flattery. At that time the waters of
Fuca strait, Puget Sound and lands adjoining had not been christened by
those names by which they are now known.
English navigators explored and gave names to Queen Charlotte islands and
the surrounding waters soon after the occupation of the larger island of
Vancouver, but they appear not to have visited the waters of the Georgian
gulf until some years afterwards.
Numbers of navigators sent out by English companies visited the Northwest
coast prior to the voyage of Captain Cook in 1785, and he, in succeeding
years by many others who followed close upon his heels, giving names to
and exploring channels and passages on the west side of Vancouver island.
Among the latter navigators who visited the country from 1785 to the
close of the Eighteenth century were Captain Portlock in the ship King
George, the ship Queen Charlotte, Captain Dixon, the latter naming the
Queen Charlotte islands, Dixon strait, etc. Then there was the Imperial
Eagle, Captain Barclay, who sailed into the waters of Barclay sound,
since which they have perpetuated the name of the worthy captain. Captain
Barclay sailed into the mouth of Fuca straits and sent a boat out on a
short exploring expedition. He then passed on south of Cape Flattery,
where he had the misfortune to lose a boat’s crew at the hands of the
savages. Captain Meares came the following summer, visited Clayoquot
sound, gave the name to Fuca straits, christened Tatoosh island, and
sailed along the coast southward to Shoalwater and Deception bays, and
on to Cape Lookout, and thence retraced his steps to Barclay sound.
While here an exploring party of twelve men under First Officer Duffin
were attacked by the Indians and beat a hasty retreat to the ship, after
being severely wounded. The vessel soon after returned to Nootka sound,
where the ship Iphigenia, Captain Douglas, and the sloop Washington had
arrived, followed soon after by the Columbia, Captain Kendrick, from
Boston. A new vessel had been built at Nootka during that year, and was
christened Northwest America, which sailed soon afterwards, accompanied
by the Iphigenia and Felice.
Captain Gray, of the Washington, wintered on the west coast of
Vancouver island in 1788, and the following year circumnavigated the
island, explored the west coast of Queen Charlotte island and called
it Washington island. He had, also, during this winter, a residence at
Clayognut harbor. Captain Gray built a fortification, and launched a
small vessel, which he sent to Queen Charlotte island, previous to his
sailing for the Atlantic coast. George Vancouver did not come till 1792.
Soon afterwards Gray took command of the Columbia, sailed away for Boston
and returned on a second voyage, and entered and named the Columbia
river.
Captains Lewis and Clark explored the interior of Washington territory
during Jefferson’s presidency and settlements were made by the Hudsons
Bay company in 1828. The renowned Whitman came in the 30’s to the Walla
Walla country and Americans began to settle in 1845 on this side, then a
part of the Oregon territory.
The name Puget Sound, as given by Vancouver, the British navigator, in
1792 extended only to the waters south of Point Defiance, near Tacoma.
The waters north of this point were named Hood’s canal, Admiralty inlet,
Possession sound, Rosario straits, Gulf of Georgia, etc.
The name Puget Sound afterwards was applied to all the waters included in
the American possessions south of British Columbia.
The Greek pilot Juan de Fuca is supposed to be the first man who ever
sailed into these placid waters. He thought he had at last found the
“Northwest Passage,” but finding that such was not the case, he took
possession of the country in the name of the king of Spain and then
made his way back to Mexico. The straits of Fuca are about 12 miles in
width and 100 miles long from its beginning to where it is lost in the
many bays and fjiords and waters that surround the numerous islands at
its head. There is perhaps no body of water that is as secure for the
navigator as the straits of Juan de Fuca, there being no rocks or shoals
in it. These northern waters are filled with numerous islands and the
character of the country is almost the same from the 47th to the 60th
parallel.
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