Mythologies of the Skokomishe/Twana Tribe

The Skokomish Indian Tribe, formerly known as the Skokomish Indian Tribe of the Skokomish Reservation, and in its own official use the Skokomish Tribal Nation, is a federally recognized tribe of Skokomish, Twana, Klallam, and Chimakum people. They are a tribe of Southern Coast Salish indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest located in Washington. The Skokomish are one of nine bands of Twana people. The Skokomish Reservation is located on several square miles of Mason County, just north of Shelton, Washington at 47°20′05″N 123°09′36″W. Some Klallam people were relocated onto the reservation after signing the 1855 Point No Point Treaty. The Skokomish Indian Tribe is headquartered in Skokomish, Washington. The tribe is governed by a seven-member, democratically elected General Council.

The Skokomish Indian Tribe is located near the town of Shelton on the southern end of the Olympic Peninsula. Tribal members have strong ties to the region’s fishing and logging industry and continue to sustain a rich culture and tradition around basketry, carving, dance and ceremony.

Important Twana Mythological Figures

Raven: Raven is the culture hero of Skokomish and Twana mythology. He is a revered and benevolent transformer character who helps the people and shapes their world for them, but at the same time, he is also a trickster spirit and many Twana stories about Raven have to do with his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble.

Twana Indian Folklore

Legend of the Dog Salmon People:
Origin story of the Skokomish tribe.

How Daylight Came to Be:
Twana legend about how Ant Woman won daytime from the Creator.

Recommended Books of Twana Myths

Salish Myths and Legends:
Anthology of legends and traditional stories from the Twana and other Salish tribes.

The Skokomish (pronounced /skoʊˈkoʊmɪʃ/) are one of nine tribes of the Twana, a Native American people of western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives along Hood Canal, a fjord-like inlet on the west side of the Kitsap Peninsula and the Puget Sound basin. Historically the Twana were hunters, fishers, and gatherers who had a nomadic lifestyle during the warmer months, while living in more permanent homes during the winter months. Today, Skokomish people are enrolled in the federally recognized Skokomish Indian Tribe. Like many Northwest Coast indigenous peoples, the Skokomish rely heavily on fishing for their survival. The name “Skokomish” comes from the Twana sqʷuqʷóbəš, also spelled sqWuqWu’b3sH, and meaning “river people” or “people of the river”. The Skokomish were one of the largest of the nine different Twana village communities that existed before about 1860. By their locations, the nine groups were the Dabop, Quilcene (“salt-water people”), Dosewallips, Duckabush, Hoodsport, Skokomish (Skoko’bsh), Ctqwəlqweli (“Vance Creek”), Tahuya, and Duhlelap (Tule’lalap) communities. Within these nine communities there were at least 33 settlements.

What is now known as the Skokomish Tribe actually was primarily composed of Twana Indians, a Salishan people whose aboriginal territory encompassed the Hood Canal drainage basin in western Washington State. The tribe’s first recorded direct contact with European culture came in 1792 and resulted in a devastating smallpox epidemic that took the lives of many. There were nine Twana communities, the largest being known as the Skokomish, or “big river people.” The Twana subsisted on hunting, fishing and gathering activities, practicing a nomadic life-style during warmer weather and resettling at permanent sites during the winter. Twana descendants live on the Skokomish Reservation, and all have become known as the Skokomish Tribe. Between 1900 and 1960 the Tribe faced many difficulties. Sometime around 1900, a tycoon from Tacoma acquired the land between the west channel and main channel in the mouth of the Skokomish River. His subsequent diking and ploughing resulted in the loss of various plant species, including the sweetgrass used by the Skokomish for their basketry. At about the same time, the Tribe’s shellfish gathering activities were severely restricted due to the State of Washington’s claims of jurisdiction over tidelands. Furthermore, the City of Tacoma, between 1926 and 1930, constructed two dams on the North Fork of the Skokomish River, resulting in the destruction of important cultural sites and increased restrictions on the Tribe’s saltwater access. Finally, Potlatch State Park was opened in 1960 on a prime piece of shoreline property. All of these actions have been the subject of land claims brought by the Skokomish. An award of about $374,000 in 1965 was directed toward the purchase of a fish processing plant, as well as toward tribal housing. In 1974 the Tribe was successful in regaining disputed fishing rights through the Boldt Decision.

The name Skokomish (pronounced sko-KO-mish) comes from two words meaning “big river people,” skookum and mish (a suffix found on many Northwest tribal names meaning “people”). These words are most likely a combination of Chinook Jargon (see Chinook entry) and Lutshootseed, a language family spoken by most of the Coast Salish tribes. The word came from one of their village names, sqoqc’bes (“people of the river”). The tribe began using this name after they moved to the reservation. Prior to that the people called themselves tuwáduxq or Twana. Some tribe members have returned to using this name. The Skokomish traditionally lived in the Hood Canal drainage basin west of Puget Sound, Washington. Today they live on the Skokomish Reservation, which covers 5,000 acres on the Skokomish River delta, where the river empties into the Great Bend of the Hood Canal. In 1792 there were about eight hundred Skokomish. The Twana, or Skokomish, reservation had a population of 1,029. In the 1990 U.S. Census, 737 people identified themselves as Skokomish. The 2000 census showed 698 Skokomish, and 814 people who claimed some Skokomish heritage.

Twana Indian Legends, Myths, and Stories

Important Twana Mythological Figures

Raven

Raven is the culture hero of Skokomish and Twana mythology. He is a revered and benevolent transformer character who helps the people and shapes their world for them, but at the same time, he is also a trickster spirit and many Twana stories about Raven have to do with his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble.

Twana Indian Folklore

Legend of the Dog Salmon People

Origin story of the Skokomish tribe.

How Daylight Came to Be

Twana legend about how Ant Woman won daytime from the Creator.

Long, long ago, so long ago, there was no light, there was only darkness. In those days, the Ant people worked very hard. But sometimes they would go looking for food, and could not find their way home again. Sometimes, they would hear heavy footsteps, and a monster would reach into their homes and steal and eat their babies, disappearing into the darkness again. This monster was Tsimox, the Grizzly Bear. Even now, bears will sometimes dig up the nests of ants to eat their larvae. There was one person, Ant Woman, who was smarter than all the rest. “If we had light, we could see to work. We could find our way home. We could watch for the monster Bear, who steals our children.” Ant Woman decided to go to the house of the Creator, and ask for light on behalf of her people. It was a long and dangerous journey. She did not know it, but Bear followed her, to see what she would do. “Oh, Creator,” she said, “give my people light, so we can see and work…” But before she could finish speaking, Bear stepped in front of her, saying, “Don’t listen to her! Don’t give this little bug person what she wants! I want it to always be dark so I can sleep and be cool!” The Creator replied, “There will be a contest—a dance contest—and the winner will get his or her desire.”