Jamestown S' Klallam Indian Tribe

On April 1st,Liam's mom came and talked about the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. Her dad's dad was 100% S'Klallam, which made her dad half Indian, which made her 4th Indian, which makes Liam one 8th Indian. Their tribe is located on the Olympic Peninsula near Jamestown. Way back in 1789 there were 3,000 Indians in the tribe, but then a ship came into the harbor at Jamestown with a lot of people with the Smallpox disease. After that ship came, alot of Indians died. There were then, in 1862,1,300 Indians. In 1855 the Point no Point treaty was signed forcing them to give up their land to white settlers. They made the Indians go to reservations.In Port Angeles or on the Hood Canal, but if the tribe didn't want to live on a reservation the government was giving a little money to the tribe so they could live on their own but not in the white peoples way. The land they got to live on was dry and like a plain so the Indians couldn't hunt or grow crops. We think it's amazing their tribe never lived on a reservation. In 1981 they started a service for the elders of their tribe with some of the money from the government. The elders got to go first every time the tribe did something like ate a meal. If there was no more cake left for the other people, too bad. Liam's mom also brought things in to show us. She brought in a mini model ofa canoe, she said that canoes where almost always made out of cedar because it was stronger than any other wood. She also brought in baskets, also made of cedar. The way they make baskets is they use a tool and strip the bark of the tree with it. Then they soak the bark about 4 times, and then it's soft enough to woven into baskets. They make the baskets colored by taking some berries and smash them so the juice of the berries comes out then they soak the Cedar in the juice then they weave the baskets. She also brought a medicine bag. You're never supposed to look in a medicine or it will bring you bad luck. She also brought in a lot of beadwork. She brought in a necklace and a pair of earrings. We think it would havebeen hard to make one of those necklaces because the beads were so tiny! Well we told what we know, and you still want to know more! Well why don't you visit their website or visit where they sell a lot of Indian things in Jamestown on the Olympic Peninsula.
posted by Allie and Caitlin