by Julie Thomas-Zucker

Created on: December 21, 2011

The State of Washington lists thirty-two federally recognized Native American Indian tribes and eight non-federally recognized tribes. The Makah Museum in Neah Bay allows visitors a glimpse into their history. Olympic National Park is the home of the Quinault tribe. Tillicum Village in Seattle is a place to escape city life and enter the world of the coastal tribes. Totem poles greet visitors as they enter the reservation areas. The tribal councils connected with many of the tourist resorts all display longhouses where the Native Indians serve food and perform as well as display their clothing, jewelry, and other artifacts.

Native Americans perform daily at Tillicum Village from June to September and at arranged times during the spring and fall months. Visitors can reach The Village on Blake Island only by boat from Pier 55. The four-hour tour includes a salmon bake for tourists who paid for dinner and a dance performance. The performance reveals the masks, customs and myths of the Coast Salish tribes of the Puget Sound area. They include: the Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Sauk-Suiattle, Skagit, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Squaxin, Stillaguamish, and Swinomish. The tour includes free time when visitors may walk the many trails of forest and shoreline. It takes forty-five minutes to reach Blake Island from Seattle.

Lake Quinault in Olympic National Park has sustained the Quinault Nation for hundreds of years providing fish and clams. The Quinault Nation includes five tribes: the Quileute, Hoh, Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Chinook. They call themselves "the Canoe People." Plants make up a large part of their sustenance. They provide food, clothes, and transportation in the form of boats. The Lake has trout and steelhead for anglers to catch and for those wanting a little more adventure, bear guides also lead groups into the mountains and woods where they live.     

Known as "the people who live by the rocks and seagulls," The Makah tribe hunts whales without interference from the United States government. They had their own language though most Makah speak English now. In 1970, tidal erosion made way for an important historical discovery of many of this tribe's artifacts, in fact, between 300 to 500 of them. Archeologists unearthed the ancient town of Ozette. The Makah Museum houses authentic longhouses and canoes made thousands of years ago. This tribe also celebrates Makah Days, a three-day event at the end of August. It includes a parade, canoe races, and games among other delights as well as a fabulous fireworks display.

As the reader can see, Washington is filled with Native American memorabilia.

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