History & Art of the Coast Salish People
One of the best ways to explore Seattle and the Puget Sound regions Native American Heritage is with a visit to Tillicum Village on Blake Island. Here you can experience the history, culture, food and art of the Coast Salish tribes. Often referred to as Puget Salish and Coast Salish, the native tribes as a group are also referred to as the Lushootseed peoples. Lushootseed comes from two words, one meaning "salt water" and the other meaning "language," and refers to the common language that was spoken throughout the region.
Seattle itself is named for a hereditary chief of both the Suquamish and Duwamish people who lived in the 1800s. He was known as a peacemaker and a great speaker in his native Lushootseed. In addition, Chief Seattle (Seeahth) himself was, according to historical records, born on Blake Island. He was a great warrior, now better remembered as a man of peace for whom the city of Seattle was named. Washington became a territory in 1853 and in 1855 a treaty signed by Chief Seattle relinquished the Suquamish claim to Blake Island.
As a group, the Coast Salish were and still are a people of the sea. The land and waters provided rich natural resources – including cedar and salmon - the two main staples to their life that were found in abundance. It was this ability to have food literally at your doorstep year-round that allowed for more free time and the result was time for creativity. Artwork flourished, as did the time and opportunity to tell stories. Art, dance and storytelling were some of the most essential elements among tribal groups.
Everyday objects were not simply utilitarian but decorative as well. Artwork of the Coast Salish included carved objects such as house posts which served a function as well as being decorative. They were typically found on interior walls rather than on exterior walls for display. Other carved items included canoes, of course, and with them elaborate paddles. Cedar formed the basic material for much of their life – from the dugout canoe that was used for transportation, fishing and hunting to the cedar-planked longhouses. Baskets, hats and clothing were beautifully created from cedar bark and elegant blankets and robes were woven on large looms and spun from mountain goat hair, or that of a breed of little woolly dogs (now extinct).
When visiting Tillicum Village, please be sure to visit the Heritage Room, which houses some beautiful masks and artwork as well as samples of basketry and everyday items such as fishing weights. This room can also be rented privately for smaller groups under 40. You’ll also find Totems around the property and guests are also able to purchase native artwork in the gift shop.
Many people associate the carved Totem Poles as a symbol of the coastal tribes. Traditionally this artwork hails from Southeast Alaska and British Columbia – a representation of art from Haida, Tlingit and Tshimshian Native Americans. The Totem was traditionally carved from cedar and featured stylized animals and spirits which played an important role in stories.
There are some beautiful examples of Totems on the grounds of Tillicum Village. One of Tillicum’s totems was carved by Alex Joseph (Salish) and Louis Larsen (non-indigenous). This pole represents a commonly told story about mischievous Raven who steals the light of the world. To read the pole, start at the top figure: Raven, Bringer of Light holding the sun. Raven is sitting on top of the box that daylight came in. The box is being held up by the old man chief.
In this version of the story, legend holds that a chief once held all light in a chest that he locked away for himself. Mischievous Raven coveted that light and tricked the chief into letting him hold the light. This pole was carved on the grounds of Tillicum Village out of western red cedar that is approximately 150 years old. It came to us from the western slope of Washington’s Cascade Mountains near Darrington.
Be sure to wander the grounds and look for other examples of native art.
