The Quinault are a Coast Salish people whose historic territory was the southwestern Olympic Peninsula. The current Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) has a reservation covering part of their historic lands. In addition to Quinault people, the QIN includes people from several neighboring tribes: Queets, Quileutes, Hohs, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz. Fishing, especially for salmon, is an important part of Quinault culture. Salmon spawn on the Quinault and Ozette rivers. After the fish laid and fertilized their eggs, Quinault fishers use a wide array of nets or traps to catch them. Historically, the Quinault also hunted whales, seals, and sea lions.
In this image taken near Moclips, a group of tourists watches a Quinault canoe paddle out from the shore. Starting in the early 20th century, oceanside resorts were established on the Pacific coast south of the Quinault reservation, where city residents could enjoy the healthy sea air and salt water.
Caption information source: “Quinault,” by Justine E. James and Leilani A. Chubby, in “Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula: Who We Are,” by the Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee, University of Oklahoma Press, 2002, p. 99-106.
