Samish

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Samish
Total population

590 (1980)
Regions with significant populations
Flag of the United States United States (Washington)
Languages
English, Lushootseed
Religions
Christianity, Indigenous
Related ethnic groups
other Coast Salish peoples

The Samish are a Native American tribe who live in the U.S. state of Washington. The seat of their tribal government is in Anacortes. The name "Samish" comes from the Skagit word "samens", meaning "hunter". [1]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-Contact with Europeans

The Samish were less sedentary than the majority of their neighboring tribes, conducting much of their fishing in the islands and channels off the coast of Skagit County, Washington.[2] The Samish had winter villages at sites on Samish, Guemes, and Fidalgo Islands.[3] The rest of the year, the tribe migrated throughout the San Juan Islands, moving from site to site with the salmon runs. In 1847 the tribe had over 2,000 members, although onslaught by measles, smallpox, ague and attacks from Haida and Tsimshian tribes from the north[2] decreased the population to approximately 150 members in one village[3] at the time of the signing of the Point Elliott Treaty. As well, some members of the tribe were subsumed into the Lummi tribe after the Treaty.[4]

[edit] Post-Contact with Europeans

Though 113 Samish were present at the treaty council, no Samish signed the Point Elliott Treaty. The Samish were attached to the treaty by the signature of either the Lummi chief Chow-its-hoot, or Pateus, a chief of a Lower Skagit band called Nuwaha signed the treaty in their name. Lacking a reservation of their own, many Samish were sent to live on the reservations of the Lummi, or the Swinomish. However, many Samish refused to go to the reservations, and stayed in their traditional territory. However, as Samish were often confused with Skagits, when they went to the Swinomish Reservation, there was only 6 allotments for the entire tribe. So, members went to Guemes Island, and established New Guemes (now referred to as "Potlatch Beach"), where they built a longhouse that housed over 100 people. By 1912, the Samish had either moved onto the Swinomish Reservation, into other communities, or were pushed off of the island by white settlers, as the Samish occupied the land with the only fresh water.[3]

In 1926, a formal constitution was organized by the Samish, which was later altered several times, but finally the tribe became officially known as the Samish Indian Tribe. In 1971, the tribe was awarded US$5,754.96 for lands taken by the Point Elliott Treaty. The judgment deemed that they had exclusively occupied 9,233 acres (37 km²) of land at the time of the treaty.[3]

[edit] Language

The Samish language is a subdialect of the Lkungen dialect of the Coast Salish language.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Philips, James (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press, 185. ISBN 0295954981. 
  2. ^ a b Edson, Lelah Jackson. The Fourth Corner: Highlights From the Early Northwest, Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Bellingham, WA, 1968.
  3. ^ a b c d e Ruby, Robert H.; John A. Brown (1986). A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest, The Civilization of the American Indian. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0806124792. 
  4. ^ Microsoft Word - Boldt Decision8.5x11 layout for web.doc

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

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