Twana

Twana
təwəʔduq
A black-and-white portrait of a young Quilcene boy with long hair and two braids, in the year 1913
Portrait of a Quilcene boy, c. 1913
Total population
796[1]
Regions with significant populations
Hood Canal, Washington
Languages
Twana, English
Religion
Traditional tribal religion, Christianity, incl. syncretic forms
Related ethnic groups
Other Coast Salish peoples

Twana (Twana: təwəʔduq)[2] is the collective name for a group of nine Coast Salish peoples in the northern-mid Puget Sound region. The Skokomish are the main surviving group and self-identify as the Twana today. The spoken language, also named Twana, is part of the Central Coast Salish language group. The Twana language is closely related to Lushootseed.[3]

The nine groups making up the Twana are the Dabop, Quilcene, Dosewallips, Duckabush, Hoodsport, Skokomish, Vance Creek, Tahuya, and Duhlelap.[4] By 1860 there were 33 settlements in total, with the Skokomish making up the majority of the population.[5][6] Most descendants of all groups now are citizens of the Skokomish Indian Tribe and live on the Skokomish Indian Reservation at Skokomish, Washington.[7]

  1. ^ "Skokomish Tribe | NPAIHB". February 9, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  2. ^ Drachman, Gaberell (2020). tuwaduq - The Twana Language E-Dictionary Project. Skokomish Indian Tribe.
  3. ^ Thompson, M. Terry; Egesdal, Steven M. (January 1, 2008). Salish Myths and Legends: One People's Stories. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-1764-5.
  4. ^ Ricky, Donald (January 1, 1999). Indians of Oregon. Somerset Publishers, Inc. ISBN 978-0-403-09866-8.
  5. ^ Committee, Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory (June 1, 2003). Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula: Who We Are. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3552-6.
  6. ^ Elmendorf, William Welcome (1993). Twana Narratives: Native Historical Accounts of a Coast Salish Culture. UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-0475-2.
  7. ^ "Skokomish Indian Tribe – A website for the Skokomish Tribe and its people". Retrieved February 20, 2023.