Twana

The Twana have nine different communities (Dabop, Quilcine, Dosewallips, Duckabush, Vance Creek, Hoodsport, Tahuya, Duhleap, and Skokomish).

Land:

The Twana are from the Puget Sound area of Washington state in the United States.

Ceremonies:

There are two important ceremonies performed once a year. The first is a first salmon ceremony to honor the catching of the first salmon of the season. The fish is carried to the village by two elders with its head pointing upstream. It is then roasted and the entire community takes part in eating it. After the meal there is dancing and the bones of the salmon are floated down the river to return to the salmon people. There, the first salmon will report on the gracious treatment and respect it received. The Twana see this as a gesture of thankfulness and it is essential to ensuring the return of the salmon. A first elk ceremony maintains the relationship with the elk. Hunters and fishermen also observe special rituals to commemorate their first catches. The Twana continue these traditional ceremonies today.

Crafts:

The traditional baskets the Twana make and other products that are still popular today can be bought on the internet.

Traditions:

The Twana traditionally ate more fish than game animals. The women collected shellfish, berries, mushrooms, roots, and other plants for food. Fishing, hunting, and gathering not only provided them with food, but allowed them to have buckskin fur, blankets, baskets, clothes and feathers.

Three kinds of canoes were built for means of transportation on waterways. The largest was used for transporting large quantities of cargo and for trading with other tribes.

Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not claim expertise on the Twana.

Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.

If you are Twana, your feedback is much appreciated.

Skokomish Tribal Nation http://www.skokomish.org/

References:

www.amazon.com

www.abstractsoft.com/~mrv/perspect/twana/skok01t1.html

Written by: Wendy Pickett