The S’Klallam (also spelled Klallam) are a Coast Salish people whose historic lands stretch across the northern Olympic Peninsula from the current location of Port Townsend to the Hoko River, near Makah lands. They also lived on Whidbey Island and on the south shore of Vancouver Island. The S’Klallam lived in permanent longhouses during the winter, but in other seasons individual families spread out and camped at traditional sites to fish, hunt, or gather resources. In 1855, the S’Klallam signed the Point No Point Treaty and ceded their land to the United States but reserved rights to hunt, fish, and gather at usual and accustomed sites. The treaty stated that the S’Klallam would move to a reservation at Skokomish, but this site was distant from their traditional lands and most S’Klallams refused to leave. Beginning in the 1870s, many S’Klallam individuals privately purchased land on their traditional territory. As a result, separate S’Klallam groups emerged, which last to this day. One of the tribes lives on Vancouver Island at Becher Bay. The other three are on the northern Olympic Peninsula – the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe (federally recognized in 1939), the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (federally recognized in 1936), and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (federally recognized in 1981).

This is a portrait of Chits-A-Man-Han (nicknamed the “Duke of York” by the settlers) and his wife. He was chief of the S’Klallam in the 1850s and was one of the signers of the Point No Point Treaty. This image is a composite, created by combining separate photos of Chits-A-Man-Han and his wife.

SHS category: Indians - Chiefs

Caption information source: “Elwha Klallam Historical Timeline,” Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, retrieved from https://www.elwha.org/culture-history/elwha-klallam-historical-timeline/
Caption information source: “History,” by Jerry Gorsline, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, retrieved from https://www.pgst.nsn.us/land-and-people-and-lifestyle/history
Caption information source: “Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Introduction and Overview,” Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, retrieved from https://library.jamestowntribe.org/ld.php?content_id=47309688