Indigenous Presence, Pre-Colonization

S’KATE’LBSABS PEOPLE - A BAND OF THE XATUA’BS (LAKE PEOPLE)

“The Rainier Valley area, from Dearborn Street south to Renton and from the I-5 freeway to the Lake Washington shore encompassed the homeland of the S'kate'lbfabt (s-kah-TELB-shahbsh), a Native American group signatory to the Treaty of Point Elliott who appear on the treaty document as the Sk- ta'hl-mish... Ethnographers consider them a band of the Duwamish, but they are more properly a group of the Xatua'bs (hah-chu-AHBSH), 'Lake People,' a collection of several named groups whose villages were located along the shores of Lake Washington and its outlet and who drew their living primarily from the Lake's resources.”[1]

“Seattle’s Indian Trails” written by David M. Buerge for the Weekly, published on May 20, 1981. READ FULL ARTICLE.

“The S'kate'lbfabs appear on the 1854 Treaty of Point Elliott as the Sk-ta'hl-mish, but we do not know which Duwamish headman signed for them. As a group they are not mentioned afterwards in official correspondence. While some relocated on reservations, others remained behind in their lake shore villages, but until legislation in 1875 enabled them to own property, they had no right to acquire off-reservation lands and could be evicted at the whim of settlers.”[1]

Following that, the S'kate'lbfabt (s-kah-TELB-shahbsh) disappear from the record, but Buerge writes that the larger group of Xatua'bs (hah-chu-AHBSH), 'Lake People,' were identifiable as late as 1877, “hen they are mentioned as the 'Rha-choabish' in a communication identifying groups assigned to the Port Madison Indian Reservation.”

NAMESAKE & BELIEFS

The S'kate'lbfabt (s-kah-TELB-shahbsh) took their name from Skaita'w (SKAI-taw), which was a supernatural being who looked like a man with long hair and lived at a deep spot now-dry Black River at sk~ti'lubs, and “gave the power to attract wealth to those who wrestled with it.” The ritual also involved cleansing oneself, fasting for five days, diving into the river, and finding the Skaita’w.

The Skaita’w was just one of many supernatural beings inhabiting the area. It is possible that some were associated with earthquakes or ground-moving events.

Native trails map, including the “Indian” trail shown in the upper-left.

TRADITIONAL VILLAGES & SITES OF SIGNIFICANCE

No archeological excavations have been intentionally undertaken in the Rainier Valley area but materials have emerged as development has occurred or gardens have been cultivated.

An upper-limit of about 24 cedar longhouses – and perhaps a lower limit of 12 longhouses – identified the traditional homeland of the S'kate'lbsabs (skah-TELB-shabsh). Each was likely to have been inhabited by a “house group” – or collection of biological families – during rainier and colder months, possibly from November to March. During dryer, warmer months, they spread out across the land and traveled from campsite to campsite, portaging primarily by shovelnose and freight canoes, during a period when the area was more full of wetlands. They built simple temporary structures on the land during these months, sometimes made of woven cattail reeds.[2]

Asides from longhouses and temporary camp shelters, archeologists have found evidence of a possible rack erected at Wetmore Slough which may have been used for dying salmon.

Particular longhouses of note included:[1]

  • The main S'kate'lbsabs (skah-TELB-shabsh) village at the confluence of the lake outlet and the Cedar River, which is now in downtown Renton[3]

    • Included their main burial ground, at the the confluence point along the north bank of the river

  • Ten large longhouses, approximately 60’ x 120’, stood at skc,ti'lub~ (skuh- TEEL-oobsh), near the present intersection of Second Street and Rainier Ave. S in Renton

    • However, it may be possible that these longhouses in fact did not belong to the S'kate'lbsabs but were used to house groups from other areas, who used the site following the Yakima War of 1855 and 1856

  • Five medium longhouses, approximately 50’ x 100’, stood at tuwd b'qo (tuWUB-qo, "murky river"), near the southern end of the Renton Municipal Airport

    • This village, among others, were cited in the court case, Duwamish et. al, v. U.S.A., 1926, which was a petition between the Duwamish, Snohomish, and Steilacoom Indian tribes in an attempt “to reopen a chapter of litigation concerning Indian fishing rights in the State of Washington that began in 1970  and was resolved in 1979.”[4]

  • Three medium-sized longhouses at the saxti'~ib (sukh-TEE-chib, "wading place") at present-day Bryn Mawr

  • Two medium-sized longhouses at xaxao'lc (hah-HAO-hlch, "forbidden place") at present-day Brighton Beach

    • Nearby, in a deep hole in the lake near Martha Washington Park, was reportedly the home of another jug’wa or supernatural being

  • Two or four medium-sized longhouses at .fi'f'cus (TLEELH-chus, "little island") at present-day Pritchard Island (see expanded description below)

  • An unknown number of houses at a place known as “Fleaburg” at present-day Leschi Park

The S'kate'lbsabs (skah-TELB-shabsh) likely fished and hunted small mammals in the region along Lake Washington which may have stretched from the beach in Atlantic City Park – which is a 20-minute walk to the northeast of the yəhaw̓ property – up further north to Seward Park. Another small open area near the neck of the Bailey Peninsula – where Seward Park is – was called Clarks Prairie and “may have been maintained as a native garden of sorts.” Buerge also writes that some have suspected that the “oak trees at the old Martha Washington Home may have been propagated by native people who valued their acorns.”[3]

In addition to their main burial ground at their main village, several S'kate'lbsabs (skah-TELB-shabsh) graves may be at the present-day in Renton. Another may possibly have been located on the grassy knoll where the Seattle Public Library’s Columbia City Branch stands.[1]

TRADITIONAL VILLAGE MAPS

“Indian Place Names” map. SEE FULL MAP.

The maps at right show the current location of yəhaw̓ in color; in black and white are the past locations of S'kate'lbsabs (skah-TELB-shabsh) villages. Please note the straightening of the Duwamish River over time, in order to serve settler-colonial industrial interests and their desires to “tame” a wild river and its floodplains or wetlands.

The closest sites to the inland site yəhaw̓ now stewards, as numbered, were:

#99 - ƛ̓iƛ̓cas (Small Island; pronounced TLUH-tlah-tsahss, and recorded as TL1LTCUS by T.T. Waterman), also known as Young’s Island and Pritchard Island

Close-up of “Indian Place Names” map. SEE FULL MAP.

There had previously been a “small island” or promontory at this site, which was parallel to the shoreline and separated by a marsh. It was said that travelers "could pull canoes through except for [the] reeds," in a time when many tribes traveled through the area largely by portage and canoes. Now, what was formerly the “small island” is connected to the mainland rather than separated by water, due to the lowering of Lake Washington’s water levels due to the installation of a ship canal in 1916, which also eliminated the previously large Black River.[5] However, the former marsh is still relatively wet and undergoing ecological restoration. A trail began near here and went west over the hills, to the Duwamish River.[6][7] The “small island” lies just west of the south end of Mercer Island.[8]

#98 - dəxwwuqwad (Place of Loon, Loon, or Loon Place; pronounced d-HWOO-qweeb; recorded as TUXWOO’KWIB by T.T. Waterman)

Loons were found along the Lake Washington shoreline, and it was reported that this site contained a creek which drained into an inlet north of Rainier Beach, and that there was a deep swamp or marsh where loons nested.[7][8] Loons were considered prominent spirits for Coast Salish warriors, hunters, and high class people in pre-contact times. It is noted that the location name ending in -ib instead of -ad is seen as relatively unusual.

The watersheds were interconnected and deeply affected by the ship canal and changes on Lake Washington. Because the Duwamish traveled along these waterways, their lifestyles were also affected. The Black River was a site of significance for the Duwamish people, who had a tribe located along the river for at least 14,000 years; the site also offered resources such as salmon and plant materials.

Speaking to the loss, tribal member Joseph Moses stated in an interview with David Buerge, "That was quite a day for the white people at least. The waters just went down, down, until our landing and canoes stood dry and there was no Black River at all. There were pools, of course, and the struggling fish trapped in them. People came from miles around, laughing and hollering and stuffing fish into gunny sacks…". Henry Moses (1900-1969) "dragged his canoe out of the mud and said he never wanted to paddle it again."[5]

POPULATION

Buerge reports that “a census of Puget Sound groups carried out by George Gibbs in 1854 gives 101 for the number of "Sa-ma-mish and S'ke-tehl-mish (Sktehlmish), on Dwamish Lake,” but notes that it probably did not include the principal village and may be a significant undercount.

By estimating that “three to five biological families of four to six individuals” lived in each of the S'kate'lbsabs (skah-TELB-shabsh) longhouses, Buerge drew a potential upper limit of the S'kate'lbtabt population as between 288 and 720 people, and a lower limit may between 144 and 360 people. An averaging of the numbers gave him an estimated 378 people in the area.[1]

The people of this area practiced “exogamy,” meaning that women frequently married outside of their tribe. This resulted in close ties among different groups of people and reduced conflict.[2]

Regarding Rainier Valley, more specifically, Buerge reports that a few Duwamish families lived in the Rainier Valley dating into the 1930s, according to interviews conducted by linguist Jay Ellis Ransom.[1]

  1. David Buerge, "The Native American Presence in the Rainier Valley Area," typescript, undated, Rainier Valley Historical Society, Seattle

  2. Wilma, D. (2001, March 13). Rainier Valley -- thumbnail history. Rainier Valley -- Thumbnail History. https://www.historylink.org/File/3092

  3. Buerge, D. (1984, August). Indian lake washington. The Weekly.

  4. Duwamish Indian tribe, et al., petitioners v. United States of America, et al.. Office of the Solicitor General | DUWAMISH INDIAN TRIBE, ET AL., PETITIONERS v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ET AL. | United States Department of Justice. (2014, October 22). https://www.justice.gov/osg/brief/duwamish-indian-tribe-et-al-petitioners-v-united-states-america-et-al

  5. Ott, J. (2012, October 1). Due to construction of Lake Washington Ship canal, Lake Washington is. Due to construction of Lake Washington Ship Canal, Lake Washington is lowered 9 feet beginning on August 28, 1916, and the Black River disappears. https://www.historylink.org/File/686

  6. SECOND BOOK

  7. Seattle Public Schools. (2021, June). Rainier Beach High School Replacement Project - Draft Project SEPA Checklist. Seattle, WA.

  8. Waterman, T. T. (1922). The geographical names used by the Indians of the Pacific Coast. American Geographical Society.