The largest war which ever ravaged the native populations of the Northwest was the Yakima War of 1855-56, which extended from southern Oregon to the Puget Sound, and engaged almost all of the tribes of the areas between and surrounding [1]. Most tribes fought against the Americans, but the Snohomish allied with the Americans, perhaps in an attempt to broker a deal. This may have ushered in the positive sentiments of the aforementioned Point Elliot Treaty, which secured a reservation land, fishing rights, the erection of houses for curing fish, and the allowance to gather berries and hunt on unclaimed lands.
Prior to the celebrated treaty of 1855, the colonization attempts occurred most frequently in the period of Father Eugene Casimir Chirouse’s arrival. A Catholic missionary from France, he arrived to Tulalip in 1847 with the intent to settle and spread religious doctrine [2]. The tribe welcomed him and he became quite well versed in Salish languages and customs. Despite his integration into their society, he succeeded in setting up a school which would go on to educate hundreds of Snohomish boys and girls and adults [3]. Chirouse and others, such as Myron Eels, ended up doing little to proselytize the Indians, and abandoned their religious attempts for simply doing good work for the tribes. They especially became disillusioned with their work in the area when they attempted to change the traditional livelihood from fishing, hunting and gathering to agriculture, a way of life that would have completely disrupted the worldviews and traditions of all neighboring groups [4].
The aboriginal groups who later formed in the Tulalip lived in mainly long house dwellings [5]. These homes ranged from 100 to 200 feet long and were built by chopping cedar planks of tree trunks with an adze, a multi-purpose tool for construction and art used by many native groups of the Pacific Northwest [6]. The homes were outfitted with open fire places that were typically shared between two or three families [7]. The homes were mostly open, in that there was plenty of walking space and versatility in use space.
In terms of transportation, the descendants of the Tulalip mainly employed canoes which they built themselves. There are four different types, each with unique advantages and characteristics: Trolling canoe, One man canoe, Large canoe, and Shovel-nose canoe [8]. Another piece of evidence to reflect the bounty of natural resources at their disposal is clear in their clothing. Primarily made from deerskin, the hides went through vigorous processes and were scraped, tanned, dried and rubbed. Deerskin was used for shirts, leggings and capes, and sometimes bearskin or seals was used for capes and accessories, and less often, cedar bark clothing from scraps [9]. The abundance of local fauna contributed to caps fashioned from wolves, otters, beavers and bears were also commonplace.
By the 1970s, more than half of the Tulalip Reservation had been sold to non-Indians, and they now retain just eighty acres. The tribe has long lost its virgin timber forests and now its members find income through leasing prime waterfront sites, and through a casino that they own and operate [10]. Despite the loss of land and resources, a 30% increase in population was cited, and found that 9,246 were found to be living on the Reservation [11]. This increase suggests a variety of concerns, one of which is for the environmental aspects. With a population relying on fishing rights for survival and for production, the higher rates of marine activity could lead to disaster for the industry and the people. The study conducted by the USGS helped to ensure that the Tulalip people and Reservation were well-equipped to handle and budget their supplies.
[1] Ruby, Robert H. and John Arthur Brown. Indians of the Pacific Northwest: A History. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1981. Page146.
[2] Ruby, Robert H. and John Arthur Brown. Page 125.
[3] Ruby, Robert H. and John Arthur Brown. Page 126.
[4] Ruby, Robert H. and John Arthur Brown. Page 245.
[ 5] Bancroft-Hunt, Norman and Werner Forman. People of the Totem The Indians of the Pacific Northwest. New York: G.p. Putnam’s Sons, 1979. Print. Page 27.
[6] Eells, Myron. The Indians of Puget Sound: The Notebooks of Myron Eells. Walla Walla: Whitman College, 1986. Print. Page 132.
[7] Eells, Myron. Page 66.
[8] Eells, Myron. Page 181-183.
[9] Eells, Myron. Page 122.
[10] Suttles, Wayne. Coast Salish Essays. Vancouver: University of Washington Press, 1987. Print. Page 17.
[11] Frans, L.M., and Kresch, D.L., 2004, Water resources of the Tulalip Indian Reservation and adjacent area, Snohomish County, Washington, 2001-03: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5166, 86 p. Print. P. 6
