INDIGENOUS CULTURES
INDIGENOUS CULTURES
The geographic places we now know as Port Townsend and Jefferson County have a deep connection to indigenous cultures characterized by thousands of years of Indigenous settlement. It’s important to learn directly from tribal communities about the rich and diverse histories as well as contemporary identities of Native peoples in this place.
The Hoh Tribe
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
The Makah Tribe
The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe
The Quileute Nation
The Quinault Nation
The Skokomish Indian Tribe
The Suquamish Tribe
For visitors, an easily-accessible journey through history is The čičməhán Trail (Cheech-ma-han). Developed by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, the intent of the čičməhán Trail is to educate the public on the relationship between the S’Klallam people who had lived for hundreds of years at this place, that they called “qatáy” and the European settlers who arrived in Port Townsend in the mid-19th century, intent on making it a key port of trade in the Northwest.
The Trail is comprised of 18 sites throughout Port Townsend, which naturally divide into 3-mile, 6-mile, or 12-mile loops. The 3-mile loop focuses on downtown historical sites; the 6-mile loop extends west to Laurel Grove Cemetery; and the 12-mile loop goes all the way out to North Beach and Fort Worden. All loops contain elevation changes, with some steep uphill and downhill grades. Each sign on the trail tells a small part of the story of historic and modern-day S’Klallam people.
View a PDF of the Trail and exhibits
Also learn about the Welcome Pole at Northwest Maritime. The 26’ totem pole at the entrance to their campus was a gift from the Jamestown S’klallam Tribe to Northwest Maritime designed to tell the story of both the S’Klallam people and the community of Port Townsend. The pole pays homage to millennia of finely crafted wooden boats and the artisans who built them.
Please visit and explore responsibly. More information, click here.