Sammamish people
The Sammamish speak Lushootseed, a Coast Salish language which was historically spoken across most of Puget Sound, although its usage today is mostly reserved for cultural and ceremonial practices.
The Sammamish were historically a warlike, but impoverished people, and were closely allied with their neighbors, the Duwamish and the Snoqualmie.
In the early 19th century, the Sammamish were one of the first peoples of Puget Sound to come into contact with the traders from the Hudson's Bay Company.
This is due to the traditional lifestyle of the Sammamish, which relied much more on the resources of Lake Washington, rather than from their own river, than other riverine groups in the area.
A Sammamish raiding party traveled to Penn Cove to attack the Lower Skagit village at čubəʔalšəd (Snatelum Point).
The raid was initially successful, as the Skagit began to flee across Penn Cove to təqucid (Oak Harbor) with the Sammamish raiders in tow.
However, it was ultimately unsuccessful, as the Sammamish river canoes, unsuitable for the open waters of the Puget Sound, capsized, allowing the Skagit to escape.
[7] It was theorized by historian David Buerge that the poor resources of the Sammamish River Valley led to their tendency for raiding.
[6][13] In 1855, the United States government signed the Treaty of Point Elliott with appointed leaders of most of the Puget Sound peoples, headed by Seattle (Suquamish/Duwamish) and Chief Patkanim (Snoqualmie).
[6] Under Sahwicholgadhw, some Sammamish warriors took part in the Puget Sound War against the United States, and participated in the 1856 Battle of Seattle.
[11] Henry Yesler, local sawmill owner and one of the founders of Seattle, aided in the removal of the Sammamish from their homelands.
[4][6][7][10] This site was at the mouth of the Sammamish River before Lake Washington was drained by 10 feet, which, at the time, was near where Swamp Creek (dxʷɬəq̓ab)[4] is today.
[9][10] Sammamish society and life was based around the yearly cycle of summertime hunting, gathering, and fishing all throughout their territory, before people would stay in their villages during the winter to feast and to engage in ceremonies.
[7] Large potlatches would be thrown as a display of wealth and prestige, where relatives from distant villages would be invited to receive lavish gifts, alongside gambling, dancing, and storytelling.
Other types of game were caught and consumed fresh, as well as used for pelts or feathers, such as waterfowl and deer, however the traditionally lake-oriented lifestyle of the Sammamish relied more on aquatic resources like fish than their riverine neighbors.
[7][10] Like their Duwamish and Snoqualmie relatives, the Sammamish traditionally speak Lushootseed, a Coast Salish language spoken across Puget Sound.
[6][10] Today, Lushootseed has no first-language speakers and is primarily reserved for ceremonial and cultural contexts, like storytelling and prayer.
Despite this, the Tulalip and Snoqualmie tribes are working to revitalize the language, and it is taught in several colleges and high schools in the area, both tribal and non-tribal.
