Quileute Legends, Myths & Stories
History is the story of evolution of man over a span of several thousand years. From the prehistoric era to the modern age, history predicts physical, intellectual and social changes man underwent with the aid of adequate evidence. This evidence may be literary proof, artifacts or even skeletal remains of the early man. Thus, the study of history gives us a deeper insight into the lives of our ancestors and detailed study of the subject teaches us their ethical beliefs, the mistakes they made and hence departs us valuable lessons of life.
Tribal life has always been a fascinating subject with historians across the world. There have been thousands of tribes located across the world, some of which still exist, although with their population steadily dwindling. The reason tribal history is regarded extremely interesting is because each tribe has its own set of tradition, dialects and rituals, studying which helps one understand the human mind, along with procuring deeper knowledge about the evolution of civilization. Among these, the study of Native American tribes has provided valuable information about North America.
Among Native American tribes, the Red Indian, Apalachee Indian and Quileute tribes are well known. The Quileute, also known as Quillayute was a tribe thriving in East America, whose population has now been reduced to a meager 750. The Quileutes are believed to have dwelled along the Quillayute River near Washington on the Pacific coast of North America. Books written on American tribal history describe the Quileutes as spiritual people who believed in the existence of supernatural forces.
The Quileute, according to several historians, was believed to be a tribe of highly possessive people. While other tribes functioned as communities sharing land and resources, the Quileutes laid restriction not only on ownership of land or food but also on music and dance which meant that a family could claim ownership of a particular dance, song or lore. Such characteristics of the tribe are revealed as indirect implications in Quileute legends or Quileute folklore which essentially consists of tales involving the Quileutes. These stories are mostly based on supernatural theories like the existence of werewolves, thunderbirds and are well known all over the world, albeit in modified versions.
One of the most popular Quileute myths is the one involving the famished tribe being bestowed a whale for food by a giant bird known as the thunderbird. Another is based on the existence of werewolves and their appearance during full moon. In each of these legends, an address to the ‘Great Spirit’ is made which implies that the Quileutes were extremely spiritual and believed in the existence of God as a savior. Textbooks on American tribes reveal that the Quileutes, like most tribes sought supernatural power and boys generally went in search of supernatural power once they came of age.
Quileute myths have been adapted into works of fiction all over the world. Among the modern adaptations, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer portrays a character who is a Quileute descendant and the story that deals with vampires employs werewolves as the force against vampires, based on a Quileute legend. Interesting detail of supernatural events has always been liked by humans which makes Quileute legends an evergreen set of folklore.
