sq̓ixʷəbš | |
|---|---|
.png) Skykomish territory in the 19th century | |
| Total population | |
| Extinct as a tribe | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Washington, US | |
| Languages | |
| Lushootseed, English | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Lushootseed-speaking peoples, esp. the Snohomish and Snoqualmie |
The Skykomish (Lushootseed: sq̓ixʷəbš, lit. 'upriver people', IPA: [ˈsqʼexʷ.əbʃ]) are a Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish people indigenous to the Skykomish Valley in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.
The Skykomish inhabited at least 8 permanent villages with a pre-contact population believed to number in the thousands. Composed of several subgroups, including the bəsx̌əx̌əx̌əlč and st̕aq̓taliǰabš, the Skykomish once had a vast amount of territory stretching across much of the Skykomish drainage system. For thousands of years, the Skykomish followed a seasonal pattern of hunting, fishing, and gathering throughout their territory.
The Skykomish were party to the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855. After the signing of the treaty, the Skykomish were removed to the Tulalip Reservation, where they gradually intermixed and assimilated with their neighboring and closely-related Snohomish and Snoqualmie peoples. By 1871, the Skykomish had begun to virtually disappear from the historical record, generally being classified as Snohomish or Snoqualmie. For this reason, although the Skykomish were once a wholly independent group, the Skykomish people have been variously categorized by scholars as a subgroup of the Snoqualmie people, the Snohomish people, or as a tribe in their own right. Today, the Skykomish are succeeded by the Tulalip Tribes of Washington and the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe.