Snohomish people

Snohomish people
The Snohomish people are a Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish people who are Indigenous to the Puget Sound area of Washington in the United States. They primarily reside around the Snohomish River and northern Puget Sound. Traditionally, the Snohomish spoke a subdialect of Northern Lushootseed; although it has fallen out of use in favor of English in more modern times, several tribes have attempted to revitalize the language and other traditional teachings (known in Lushootseed as ).
Name
The name "Snohomish" is an Anglicization of the Lushootseed name: . Around the time of contact, a linguistic shift occurred where nasal consonants, such as m or n, shifted in many words to become b or d respectively. This is seen in many of the prononciations of the oldest speakers of Lushootseed, some of which still pronounced words in the old way. When the Snohomish first encountered Europeans, their name was pronounced as snuhumš, producing the word "Snohomish" in English. After some time, the Lushootseed changed, while the English-language name stayed the same, creating the discrepancy that exists today.
Snohomish has also been Anglicized many ways, including Sdoh-hobsh, Sdohobcs, Sinahomish, and Sneomuses.
The meaning of the word is debated by linguists and tribal historians. Currently, the most popular etymology and the one employed by the Tulalip Tribes is that it means "many men." According to a prominent Snohomish leader, Chief William Shelton, the name means "lowland people."
Today, Snohomish County, the city of Snohomish, and the Snohomish River are all named after the Snohomish people.
History
Pre-contact
The traditional lifestyle of the Snohomish is that of semi-sedentary hunter-gatherers. Snohomish men fished and hunted along the rivers and coasts, while women gathered plants in the forests and prairies. The traditional territory of the Snohomish ranges across what is now Snohomish County. The full range of their territory extends from south of Everett, near Mukilteo, north to Warm Beach, up the Snohomish River to the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Skykomish Rivers, the southern tip of Camano Island, and the southern half of Whidbey Island.
The Snohomish, like other Lushootseed-speaking peoples, were not traditionally a politically unified group. The primary identifier was that of one's own extended village; thus, there are several subdivisions of the modern Snohomish. Among them were the true Snohomish, those living around the lower Snohomish River around the main village of . There was also the Quilceda people, who lived in several villages in the vicinity of Quil Ceda Creek. There were also the Sdodohobsh, living on the upper reaches of the Snohomish River to the confluence. Lastly, the N'Quentlamamish lived along the Pilchuck River.
In 1844, there were 322 known Snohomish. A decade later, their population was around 350. In the 1980 census, there were 700 Snohomish, and by 2008 the Snohomish population had increased to 1,200. As of 2023, there are at least 5,100 members of the Tulalip Tribes, the vast majority of whom are of Snohomish ancestry.
When the Snohomish encountered Hudson's Bay Company trader John Work in December 1824, they feared his party had come to attack them. They had long been in conflict with other peoples, such as the S'Klallam of the northeastern Olympic Peninsula and the Cowichan of southeastern Vancouver Island. Once they realized the traders were friendly, a Snohomish warrior demonstrated how to kill the Cowichans, if they attacked.
The Snohomish were among the tribes that traded with the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Nisqually, established in 1833 at the southern tip of Puget Sound. They also met Roman Catholic missionaries who entered their lands in the early 1840s. At the time of these contacts, the Snohomish were governed by headmen, each leader having influence over several villages.
Treaty of Point Elliot of 1855
In 1855, a council was held at what is now Mukilteo, Washington in order for then-Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens to draft a treaty that would cede the lands of the people living in the northern Puget Sound region to the United States. About 350 Snohomish attended, and nine Snohomish headmen then signed the Point Elliott Treaty. The Snohomish were relegated below the Snoqualmie by Stevens, who claimed that the Snohomish were a subordinate band to the Snoqualmie, led by Patkanim. This was widely resented by the Snohomish, who in fact viewed the Snoqualmie as lesser, as they lived not along the coasts but far upriver in the mountains. However, Stevens and other Indian Agents resented the Snohomish. While the Snoqualmie under Patkanim allied themselves with the United States during the Indian War of 1855-1856, the Snohomish had remained neutral. This neutrality prompted an Indian agent in February 1856 to recommend that Isaac Stevens disband the tribe, since they were "doing nothing for us." It was at this treaty that the Tulalip Reservation was established, and the Snohomish, among other groups, notably the Snoqualmie and Skykomish, both of whom were relegated below the Snoqualmie at the treaty, were forced to relocate to the reservation.
Historical accounts and records are uncertain if the Snohomish and Coast Salish signatories of the Point Elliott Treaty fully understood the contents and consequences of the treaty.
Article 7 of the Point Elliott Treaty allows the President of the United States to subsequently act on behalf of the tribes affected by the agreement.
Reservation Era
Early in the reservation period, Indian Agent Rev. Eugene Casmir Chirouse, O.M.I., used different means to help the Native Americans survive the difficult transition. Many Snohomish subsequently left the reservation to return to their previous homes because of overcrowding that reduced their ability to survive in their forced environment. In the 1870s, even more left due to oppressive government policies that destroyed their traditional culture, language, way of life, and ability to earn their livelihood as they always had on their historical ancestral grounds.
Tulalip Tribes of Washington
Most Snohomish are now enrolled in the federally-recognized Tulalip Tribes of Washington, more commonly known as the Tulalip Tribes, and often erroneously referred to as the Tulalip Tribe. The Tulalip Tribes is a confederation and successor-in-interest of several groups: the Snohomish, Skykomish, and, controversially, the Snoqualmie. This was a point of contention when the Snoqualmie Tribe fought for and subsequently won federal recognition for themselves, and are now widely recognized as the successor-in-interest to the aboriginal Snoqualmie peoples.
The Tulalip Reservation, established for the Snohomish and other groups (including those waiting for previously promised reservations) by the Treaty of Point Elliot, is west of the city of Marysville, is located on traditional Snohomish territory. However, most enrolled members today live off the reservation.
On December 23, 1873 was enlarged by an executive order from 22,489.91 acres to 24,320 acres.
Notable Snohomish
Boeda Strand, basket weaver
Snah-talc, or Bonaparte, sub-chief of Snohomish
William Shelton, chief
Tommy Yarr, former NFL player and Notre Dame Fighting Irish football captain
Notes
References
Ruby, Robert H., John A. Brown, and Cary C. Collins.A Guide to the Indian Tribes Of The Pacific Northwest, Third Edition. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2010. .
External links
Native American tribes in Washington (state)
Lushootseed language