User:Paulie 27/skykomish people

The Skykomish (also known as the Sq́exwəbc, Skai-Wha-Mish, Skywamish, etc.) were a Native American tribe who lived in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. The Skykomish were a Lushootseed speaking Coast Salish people.

The Skykomish people have been variously categorized as a subgroup of the Snoqualmie people, or as a tribe in their own right.

Geography
The territory of the Skykomish consisted of the Skykomish river drainage, from about modern-day Sultan to Index.

Two bands made up the Skykomish. From Sultan to Index were the Sq́exwəbc. From Index into the mountains were the bəsx̌əx̌əx̌alč, meaning fern people.

The Skykomish also had summer dwellings on Puget Sound and its islands, for temporary use.

Tribespeople used canoes to travel via waterways; shovel-nosed canoes for upriver travel, and deep-water canoes for downriver and ocean travel.

History
The Skykomish traded at Fort Nisqually.

In 1849, the Skykomish and Snoqualmie attacked Fort Nisqually. However, during the 1855-56 Puget Sound War, the Skykomish followed the lead of Pro-American Snoqualmie Chief Patkanin and remained neutral.

The Skykomish were represented in the Treaty of Point Elliot by seven signatories: Smeh-mai-hu, Lugs-ken, We-ai-pah, Peh-nus, Twooi-as-kut, Heh-mahl, and Steh-shail (William). This treaty was the impetus for the Tulalip Reservation, to which the Skykomish people relocated.

In the mid 1800's, the population of the Skykomish was estimated at 300-450. By 1900, there were about 320 Skykomish left, living in Sultan and Gold Bar.

At a 1933 re-enactment of the signing of the Treaty at Juanita Bay, the Skykomish were represented by Chief Black Thunder, also known as Mr. Bagley.

Question of Tribal Independence
Scholars have long been divided on whether the Skykomish people are best described as a tribe, or a subgroup within the Snoqualmie Tribe. The Treaty of Point Elliot indicates that the Skykomish were a tribe. However, the historically close relationships between the Skykomish, Snohomish, and Snoqualmie peoples makes it difficult to define distinct territorial and cultural boundaries.

In 1960, the Indian Claims Commission ruled that the Skykomish people were a separate identifiable people from the Snoqualmies. However, on appeal, Judge Don Nelson Laramore ruled that in light of the fact that a number of members of the Snoqualmie Tribe considered themselves both Skykomishes and Snoqualmies, the Snoqualmie Tribe does have a right to represent the Skykomish people.

The specific language of the Skykomish, a potential tool in evaluating cultural overlap with other tribes, is an object of debate. Anthropologist Colin Tweddell believes the Skykomish spoke a Skagit dialect of Lushootseed, along with the Snohomish. The Indian Claims Commission found that the Skykomish spoke Southern Lushootseed, as do the Snoqualmies. In 1852, Indian Agent E.A. Starling the Skykomish (or Skea-wa-mish/Skea-nu-mish) speak the Snohomish language, which is distinct both from the Nesqually language (used by the Snoqualmie) and the Ska-git language.

Subsistence
The Skykomish relied on a diet similar to other tribes on the western slopes of the Cascades. This consisted of plant life (sand rush, salmonberries, strawberries, blackberries, blackcaps, salalberries, huckleberries, blueberries, blue elderberries, hazelnuts) and animal (deer, elk, mountain goat, salmon, clams, and cockles). Deer hides and goat wool were used as trade supplies.

Mountain berries were gathered and sold fresh to settlers at lower elevation, or made into dried cakes for storage.

Beargrass was collected to make baskets.

Culture
Potlatch houses were social, commercial, and ceremonial centers.

Salmon fishing was done with weirs. Skykomish families would take trips to Puget Sound during the Spring and Summer months to gather seafood.

Caps were made from mountain goat heads, with the horns and ears still attached.

The Skykomish engaged in commerce and communication with many surrounding tribes, including with the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Stillaguamish, and Wenatch i peoples.

Legacy
The Skykomish River, and the City of Skykomish, are both named for the tribe.