Quileute Legends | Folklore | Myths | Stories

Many people think that tribes exist in most parts of Africa but very few know that there is a tribal community in US capital, Washington DC. The Quileute, also known as Quillayute are the Native American people in Western part of Washington DC. The Quileute people settled in Washington in 1855 after signing a Quinault treaty. The Quileute have their own reservation who’s main population centre is the community of La Push, Washington. The population of this tribe is around 350 and they have their own government inside United States with a tribal council. The tribe has 640 acres reservation which lies in the mouth of Quillayute River in La Push which is encompassed by Olympic national park rainforest.

The Quileute dialect belongs to the Chimakuan family of languages. The Chimakum were the only other people to speak a language from this language family. The highlight of this language is that it lacks the nasal sounds (such as m and n). The tribe are still trying to hold the legacy of this language by teaching it in tribal schools. Like many Northwest coast natives, Quileute hunted sea mammals and fished for their living. They were highly talented in building boats and canoes. They made canoes for whaling, which could hold many tons of cargo and men. Apart from that they also made long dog hair into warm blankets, wove fine baskets which can hold water and made waterproof skirts and hats.

History quotes that a supernatural transformer fashioned the Quileute from wolves. Quileute believed in supernatural powers. The young people would go on a quest to find their supernatural power. They would perform the first salmon ceremony to ensure salmon spirit’s good will. They personally believe that each person is a guardian to himself, along with the sun and universe.

Quileute people remained isolated from other Native Americans. In 1775 when a Spanish explorers missed their landing, Quileute people took them as slaves and from then on Europeans termed them as ‘vicious’. They also shipwrecked the British and Russian ships in 1787 and 1808. In 1882, A.W.Smith started teaching the native children to educate the people. He also made a school and changed the people’s tribal names to the once in bible. In February 1889, the president gave Quileute tribe at La Push, the reservation. Unfortunately, in 1889, a settler set fire on all the houses on the reservation for the want of the land.

The story about the Quileute tribe has been written in many fiction books such as ‘Spirit Quest’ by Susan Sharp, ‘Saving Cascadia’ by John J. Nancy and the famous book called ‘Twilight series’. The Twilight Book pinpoints to Quileute tribe who transform themselves into spirit Wolves. Nearby Quillayute is a city called Forks, Washington which is a popular destination for tourists for sports fishing. Apart from that La Push also holds beautiful resorts, fish hatchery, seafood firm and even a small museum. Quileute day is staged in the mid of July which combines with a tribal celebration featuring salmon bake and arts and crafts display. This place can be an ideal place to enjoy your vacation.

The Quileute Tribe can be found in La Push, Washington, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, tribesmen having inhabited this area for centuries. A lot has changed for the past hundred years, but the culture of the tribe is passed on through the Quileute Elders, as well as its tales and folklore.

One disclaimer is worthy of note. The Twilight book series, authored by Stephenie Meyer, delves deeply into the Quileute myths, and among them is the legend of “The Cold Ones”. This is the only fictitious legend that Stephenie Meyer states she has invented, only adding the story of the the Cold Ones, also known as vampires, in context to the novel plot. The Cold Ones are therefore not truly a part of the Quileute myths that have been passed on through time. All other characters in the novel, however, have been based according to her research regarding the Quileute tribe.

The Quileute Folklore contains several interesting characters. Q’wati was the greatest among them, being a sort of God, or Creator. Not only that, but to the tribe, he was their protector and mentor. It was said that he created the first men by changing two wolves into people – man and woman. Further in their legends, he was the reason why deers have antlers and beavers have tails. Aside from these, he was also said to have created the Neah people, the Queet, and the Hoh people. In fact, he has been the source of credit for the legends of six tribal societies originating from the the elk hunter, the whale hunter, the fisherman, the medicine man and the weather predictor.

The Basket Ogress, Dask’iya, is a cannibal woman the Quileute believed to capture children in her basket and carry them home to eat them. The legends about her are most often used to scare children from bad behavior. It is more likely than not that the modern stories about the bag lady originated from this particular Quileute folklore.

The Thunderbird as described by the Quileute, is an enormous avian large enough to carry a whale in its claws. It was said that he rescued the Quileutes from starvation by bringing them the whale to feed on. The Chief, as the legend states, prayed to the Great Spirit for assistance, and they believe that the Thunderbird was the manifestation of this prayer. They regard the Thuderbird with respect as the it was their savior in the time they were starving.

The Raven, is the trickster in the legends not exclusive to the Quileute tribe, but also spanning the surrounding tribes. It was through his mistakes that he learned. As described, he was lazy, arrogant, deceitful, and generally behaved badly. In one of these legends, he deceived his wife so that he can eat all the food that was given to them. These tales gave way to the selfsame fables read to children today in order to convey the right and the wrong.

Up til now, Quileute legends have influenced their tribesmen, and through additional hype in modern literature and cinema, have once again tickled the interest of many.

All societies have a folklore, or, core, of superstitions that help in shaping the belief system that sustains that group of people. The belief these past legends is alive with what seems today as wild imagination. However, it is said that all legend has a grain of truth behind it.

Several Native American tribal legends are embellished with the supernatural, as we know it, and have lived on from generation to generation to help the younger ages alive with the culture of the past, instead of being completely washed away in the modern ages.

The Quileute legends, as with many other Native American tribes, hold that the ancestry was seeded from the wolf. The creature known as Q’wati, or, the Transformer, was the cultural hero said to have birthed not only the Quileute, but also their close neighbors. Q’wati, the Transformer, according to legend, was the first of the shape-shifter, able to morph himself from man to animal at will.

Many of the true believers in these legends hold that, under certain rituals and natural circumstances, such as a full moon, would cause a one of true blood to shift to his spiritual form. A shape-shifting ritual, where the man actually takes on the form of a wolf, often these ceremonies were conducted alone, and with the help of various hallucinogenic herbs. The Wolf holds high regard among the Quileute people, due to its’ stature as the source of life as they know it.

Recent searches for The Cold Ones have been conducted on the internet under common Quileute folklore, however, they are not truly a part of actual legend. The story of the Cold Ones tells us that they are, in actuality, vampires. But, instead of being part of legend of these tribes, they are actually a fictitious “addition” to the Quileute legends by a famous bestselling author. In the stories told by this author, The Cold Ones are at odds with the Quileute, who, according to legend, are the shape-shifting wolves. It holds the lately popular vampires vs. werewolves story, while incorporating a deeply attractive love story between a couple of teenagers in the Pacific Northwest state of Washington.

Quileute legend also holds deep emphasis on the Thunderbird, a seemingly mythical bird of immense size. A predatory bird, the Thunderbird would send evil spirits that would havoc and pandemonium on the land. Several Native American cultures would worship this vulture-like bird, with a said wingspan of between 20-25 feet, in order to win their favor with this deity, to minimize the attacks on their land, and cause the Great Bird to look elsewhere to release its’ wrath. Quileute legend claims that this bird was large enough to carry a whale in its’ claws, and its’ wings beat loud enough to sound like thunder, hence, the name.

Bayaq, the Raven, is also known as the Trickster. Occasionally, he is known to help humanity, although his motives are always of his own gain. Most of Bayaq’s traits are viewed as adverse among the Native American cultures. Normally, within legend, the Raven is portrayed as mischievous, and gets into trouble or other end due to his misbehavior.

Dask’iya is the bedtime scary story for Quileute children. Both a cannibal and an ogre, Dask’iya is said to carry away wayward children in her basket and eat them. Several concocted stories were created by parents to keep their children from misbehaving.

Native American legends, always very fascinating and colorful, to this day remain a distinguishing shaper of the individual tribe’s culture, and are still passed down from generation to generation. The Quileute are no exception, their tribal legends as colorful and imaginative as ever, making them a people rich in both culture and heritage.

Do you remember the scene where Bella researched on the Quileute Legends in Twilight? There truly are Quileute Legends. And the information is available on the net. However, the Quileute Legends discussed in the movie are not quite what the legends are in the real life.

So first, are the “Cold Ones” from Twilight a real Quileute Legend? The answer is no. Stephanie Meyer herself stated that she made this legend up for the movie’s plot. But, other parts of her books were based on real Quileute Legends, such as the tribe descending from wolves who were changed into humans. In fact, the tribe’s name itself “Quileute”, came from their word for wolf, Kwoli.

Their mention in the movie Twilight arose curiosity about the legends once again. And, like most legends, the Quileute Myths are very fauna-oriented. For example, they refer to wolves as the origins of Man. The Raven is believed to be the trickster amongst the Quileute, with most of the stories revolving around him.

According to the Quileuete Legends, when these beings roamed the Earth, they were humans bearing the characteristics of the animals descending from them. And amongst the legends, there were four highly distinguished beings. They are Q’wati, the Transformer, Thunderbird, the Raven, and Dask’iya.

The Quileute Folklore presented Q’wati as a sort of God, or Creator, though in the tribe, he was their protector and mentor. It was said that he created the first men by changing two wolves into people, and was even credited with why deers have antlers and beavers have tails. Aside from these, he was also said to have created the Neah people, the Queet, and the Hoh people.

The Basket Ogress, Dask’iya, is a cannibal woman believed to capture children in her basket and carry them home to eat them. The legends about her are most often used to scare children from bad behavior. It would be safe to say that the modern stories about the bag lady originated from this particular Quileute folklore.

The Thunderbird as described by the Quileute, is a bird large enough to carry a whale in its claws. It was said that he rescued the Quileutes from starvation by bringing them the whale to feed on. As the legend goes, the Chief prayed to the Great Spirit for assistance, and they believe that the Thunderbird was the manifestation of this prayer. They regard the Thuderbird with respect as the it was their savior in the time they were starving.

The Raven, as mentioned is the trickster in the legends. But it was through his mistakes that he learned. As described, he was lazy, arrogant, deceitful, and generally behaves badly. In one legend, he deceived his wife so that he can eat all the food that was given to them. These tales gave way to the modern tales used to let children know what is right and wrong.

All in all, the Quileute Legends mostly refer to the beings who taught, protected, or saved them. But the Quileute Myths are most admirable due to the power felt in the tales.