TheSkokomish (pronounced/skoʊˈkoʊmɪʃ/) are one of ninetribes of theTwana, aNative American people of westernWashington state in theUnited States. The tribe lives alongHood Canal, afjord-likeinlet on the west side of theKitsap Peninsula and thePuget Sound basin. Historically the Twana were hunters, fishers, and gatherers who had a nomadic lifestyle during the warmer months, while living in more permanent homes during the winter months.
Today, Skokomish people are enrolled in thefederally recognizedSkokomish Indian Tribe.
Like manyNorthwest Coast indigenous peoples, the Skokomish rely heavily on fishing for their survival.[citation needed]
The name "Skokomish" comes from theTwanasqʷuqʷóbəš, also spelledsqWuqWu'b3sH, and meaning "river people" or "people of the river".[1][2][3] The Skokomish were one of the largest of the nine different Twana village communities that existed before about 1860. By their locations, the nine groups were the Dabop, Quilcene ("salt-water people"), Dosewallips, Duckabush, Hoodsport, Skokomish (Skoko'bsh), Ctqwəlqweli ("Vance Creek"), Tahuya, and Duhlelap (Tule'lalap) communities.[4] Within these nine communities there were at least 33 settlements.[5]
The Skokomish, or Twana language belongs to theCoast Salish family of indigenous languages.
The tribe moved onto theSkokomish Indian Reservation in the central part of modern-dayMason County, Washington at the southeast base of theOlympic Peninsula around 1855. The reservation has a land area of 21.244 km2 (8.2022 sq mi) and a2000 census resident population of 730 persons. Its major community isSkokomish. The nearest outside communities areUnion, to its east, andHoodsport, to its north.
47°20′05″N123°09′36″W / 47.33472°N 123.16000°W /47.33472; -123.16000
