Quileute

Their reservation is located near the southwest corner of Clallam County, Washington, at the mouth of the Quillayute River on the Pacific coast.

The 2000 census reported an official resident population of 371 people on the reservation, which has a land area of 4.061 km² (1.5678 sq mi, or 1,003.4 acres).

[1] Like many Northwest Coast nations, in precontact times the Quileute relied on fishing from local rivers and the Pacific Ocean for food.

They built plank houses (longhouses) to protect themselves from the harsh, wet winters west of the Cascade Mountains.

The Quileute tribe is governed by a democratically elected tribal council, who served in staggered, three-year terms.

The tribe would raise specially bred, woolly dogs for their hair, which they would spin and weave into blankets.

Using cedar bark, they made waterproof skirts and hats to shield their bodies against the heavy rainfall in the region.

Originally called A-Ka-Lat ("Top of the Rock"), it was used as a fortress to keep opposing tribes out and served as a burial ground for chiefs.

Quileute tradition suggests that the earliest encounter was with Spanish sailors who shipwrecked somewhere north of La Push.

[13] Another potential early encounter was with the crew of the Spanish schooner Sonora, captained by Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra in 1775.

[15] The first official negotiations with the United States government occurred in 1855 when Isaac Stevens and the Quileute signed the Treaty of Olympia.

The said tribes and bands hereby cede, relinquish, and convey to the United States all their right, title, and interest in and to the lands and country occupied by them…Article 11 of the Treaty of Olympia was a single sentence: ARTICLE 11.

In 1889, a non-native individual who wanted the land at La Push started a fire that burned down all the houses on the reservation, along with many artifacts from the days before the Europeans came.

[21] In Susan Sharpe's 1991 novel Spirit Quest, eleven-year-old Aaron Singer spends part of his summer vacation on the Quileute Indian Reservation in Washington.

At the encouragement of his family, who no longer incorporate many of their traditions into daily life, Robert attends tribal school to learn the Quileute language and culture.

[22] Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series features Jacob Black and other werewolf characters, all fictional members of the Quileute tribe and residents of La Push.

It has been heavily criticized for its negative depiction of native people and culture and the incorrect telling of the Quileute stories.

The Burke Museum created a website to combat all the misconceptions and educate fans about the truth of the Quileute tribe.