The Quileute are an Indigenous people whose historic lands are on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula, in the valleys of the Quillayute and Hoh Rivers. The Quileute are not related to either the Makah to the north or the Coast Salish peoples of western Washington, and the Quileute language is unrelated to any other in the world. Quileute land is directly exposed to the Pacific Ocean and receives about 9.5 feet of average yearly rainfall. To protect themselves, the Quileute made rainproof hats and clothing using the inner layer of cedar bark. The Quileute signed the Treaty of Olympia in 1856, in which they ceded their land and agreed to move to a reservation. In the treaty, the Quileute reserved rights for hunting, fishing, and gathering at all usual and accustomed places. However, because their land was so remote, reservations were not established until 1889 and 1893. Today, most Quileutes live on either the Quileute or the Hoh reservations.

Because Quileute land was distant from road or rail connections, the Quileute obtained supplies by loading up their large sea-going canoes. In this photo, a group unloads large sacks at First Beach, which borders the village of La Push. The canoes are of the West Coast style with an upturned prow and a vertical stern. The caption written on the image misidentifies the location as Mora, which is slightly up the Quillayute River from La Push.

Caption on image: "Indians landing provisions at Mora, Washington"
SHS category: Indians - Canoes

Caption information source: "History," Quileute Nation, retrieved from https://quileutenation.org/history/#.
Caption information from Jay Powell and Vickie Jensen, Quileute: An Introduction to the Indians of La Push, n.p. Nearby Mora is not directly on the beach.