People all over the world use myths, legends, and stories to explain earthquakes, and in the Pacific Northwest there are many such accounts, especially involving supernatural beings fighting over territory. At present there no accounts from the local Suquamish tribe.

There are three mechanisms for earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, and each one is capable of producing catastrophic effects.

The most recent Cascadia mega-thrust earthquakes occurred between August 1699 and may 1700, and accounts for a tsunami documented in Japan (Satake et al. 1996, Tsuji et al. 1998). Ruth Ludwin (2002) compiled several myths and legends related to the 1700 mega-thrust earthquake and found a set of related stories that indicate strong shaking was felt over a wide area and accompanied by severe coastal flooding.

For more information about this study follow the link to native lore on the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network page.

This article and related stories are also available as a pdf file:

The Thunderbird and Whale Stories file above tells variations of the same story, the battles between the elder Thunderbird and the Killer Whale of the Deep. In each version, every time that the two crashed onto the ground during their battles the earth began to shake violently.
Ruth Ludwin (2002:6) concludes that the "depiction of a great earthquake as a battle between supernatural beings seems eminently rational, as does the mythic association of earthquake and thunder. Weather and earthquakes are both ephemeral phenomena and in our own culture, they were traditionally grouped together. Early weather observers were responsible for noting earthquake occurrence, and "earthquake weather" was often discussed in 19th century newspaper articles."

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Currently there are no local Suquamish stories available for the 900 AD earthquake event along the Seattle Fault Zone, and evident in the IslandWood fault. Even so, the earthquake would most likely have been explained in a similar manner, as a fight between supernatural beings of some sort.

The Suquamish Tribe are the ancestral Lushootseed (the Puget Sound language group) peoples that inhabited Bainbridge Island and other Puget Sound Locations. The Suquamish were excellent basket makers, fishers, and canoe builders; respect for land and waters, the abundant natural resources and a deep understanding of the delicate supportive relationships of the natural systems continue to be strong themes in Puget Sound First Peoples, as wells as the Suquamish (Miller 1999a, 1999b, Suquamish Tribe 2004, Thrush 2004).

There are a few important Ceremonies and Traditions of the Costal Salish People, of which the Suquamish are part: the Welcome Ceremony, the First Salmon Ceremony, and Naming Ceremony, Power Boards, and the Bone Game. Each Ceremony or Tradition, as they were in the past, are an integral part of providing a deep understanding of balance within natural systems (Hilbert, Bierwert, Hilbert, and Hess 1980).

The Welcome Ceremony usually marks the occasion of opening longhouses for the first time, and generally occurs in the winter months. Guests come from different regions, and are welcomed by the hosts with song accompanied by drum (Hilbert, Bierwert, Hilbert, and Hess 1980).

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The First Salmon Ceremony is celebration of the arrival of salmon to the local stream to spawn with a great ceremony of welcome and thanks. The respect that the tribe shows for the salmon ensures that the cycle will be repeated and the salmon will return another year (Hilbert, Bierwert, Hilbert, and Hess 1980, Miller 2004).

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The Naming Ceremony provides the living identity of an individual, and is kept alive by someone carrying or wearing the name. Traditionally the naming ceremony was to mark the transition between a young boy and a man who was expected to bear the responsibility of a respected ancestral name. Family elders and other close friends serve as witnesses, and everyone shares in a potlatch dinner (Hilbert, Bierwert, Hilbert, and Hess 1980).

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Power Boards were made of cedar and carried by shamans to represent a power -- lizard, snake, some kind of beast, or human. "They painted on the board a picture of the power. The boards were from six to eight inches wide, four to five feet high. They were carved and painted. The background was painted white with the other colors over the white" (Miller 1999b:154). When the the power of the board became old, the board was taken and hidden away in an old hollow cedar tree; they are deposited there, and not to be removed by anyone (Hilbert, Bierwert, Hilbert, and Hess 1980:22).

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The Bone Game is usually played outdoors in the summer time, and the players line up in teams facing each other on the ground. Each side chooses a leader, who usually has two pairs of deer bones. One bone is marked with two bands around it and the other is plain. The objective is to guess in which hand the plain bone is hidden. There are ten tally sticks plus one that is called the "kick" stick. The game is over when one team has lost all of the tally sticks to the other side" (Hilbert, Bierwert, Hilbert, and Hess 1980:24).

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These pages were created by Matthew John Brewer on March 23, 2004 as part of the Graduate Program at IslandWood and fulfillment of the Independent Study Project. Last updated May 18, 2004.

To contact the webmaster or to find out more about IslandWood you should go to the contact us web page.

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