Quileute Tribe
La Push, Washington is home to the Quileute Tribe. According to legend, the tribe was created from wolves by a supernatural transformer. The tribe's lineage stretches back thousands of years to the Ice Age, making them possibly the oldest inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest. Tribal members built cedar canoes that ranged in size from two-man to ocean-going freight vessels capable of carrying three tons. They ranked second only to the Makah as whalers, and first among all the tribes as sealers. Special woolly-haired dogs were bred, and their hair spun into prized blankets. According to the stories, the Quileutes only kin, the Chimacum, were separated from them by a great flood that swept them to the Quimper Peninsula on the other side of the North Olympic Peninsula, where they were wiped out by Chief Seattle and the Suquamish Tribe in the 1860s.
The Quileute Tribe has recreated its traditional skills and crafts, which are taught at school along with the unique language, which is unrelated to any root language in the world, and one of only five in the world without nasal sounds.
Tribal Health and Prevention Programs
- Primary medical and dental, and behavioral health services
- Family and addiction counseling and support
- In September 1997, health and dental programs moved into a newly constructed 4,000 SF facility. User population in 1998 was 541
- Health programs include community health representative, community health nursing, emergency care, elder program, mental health, WIC nutritional services, social services, addiction counseling, and maternal health case management
Contact Information:
Quileute Tribal Health Clinic
PO Box 189
LaPush, WA 98350
Phone: 360-374-9035
Health & Human Services Director
Lois Granger
Phone: 360-374-2433
Email: lgranger@olypen.com
| 
