William Shelton | |
---|---|
Snohomish leader | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1869 |
Died | 1938 |
Spouse | Ruth Sehome Shelton (Siastenu) |
William Shelton (1869-1938) was the last hereditary chief [1] of the Snohomish in Tulalip, Washington. He was also an author, a notable sculptor, and an emissary between the Snohomish people and the United States government. [2]
Shelton was one of the few Snohomish to speak both English (which he learned when he enrolled himself in a mission school) and Lushootseed, the language of the Coast Salish.
During his lifetime, Shelton carved a number of story poles (often mistakenly called totem poles [3] ), very few of which still remain. One of those remaining story poles was cut in half after it began to rot. The top half now stands on the grounds of the Tulalip Elementary School. Historical photos of the complete pole exist in the digitized holdings of the nearby Everett Public Library. [4] )
Shelton's 1925 book The Story of the Totem Pole or Indian Legends is subtitled "Early Indian Legends As Handed Down From Generation To Generation Are Herewith Recorded By Chief William Shelton Of Tulalip, Washington." The book is the only record of many legends of the Coast Salish people. At a time when the US government sought to destroy all vestiges of Native American culture in the Pacific Northwest, Shelton was able to work out a deal with Washington State governor Roland Hartley wherein he was permitted to carve a story pole in exchange for his willingness to create a written record of the oral legends behind the figures he wished to carve on the pole.
At the time of Shelton's death in 1938, the 71-foot pole was still unfinished. Members of the tribe finished carving the pole on his behalf. That pole stood on the grounds of the state capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, until November 3, 2010, when it was removed due to safety concerns. [3] [5]
Shelton was married to Ruth Sehome Shelton (Siastenu), who survived him by 20 years, until Oct. 4, 1958. [6] Ruth was a fluent speaker of Chinook, a trade lingo derived from French, English, and Native American languages. [7]
Totem poles are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large trees, mostly western red cedar, by First Nations and Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast including northern Northwest Coast Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian communities in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Kwakwaka'wakw and Nuu-chah-nulth communities in southern British Columbia,, and the Coast Salish communities in Washington and British Columbia.
Snohomish County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 73rd-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Everett. The county forms part of the Seattle metropolitan area, which also includes King and Pierce counties to the south.
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The Tulalip Tribes of Washington, formerly known as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation, is a federally recognized tribe of Duwamish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish people. They are South and Central Coast Salish peoples of indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their tribes are located in the mid-Puget Sound region of Washington.
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The Snohomish people are a Lushootseed-speaking Coast Salish people who are Indigenous to the Puget Sound area of Washington in the United States. They primarily reside around the Snohomish River and northern Puget Sound. Traditionally, the Snohomish spoke a subdialect of Northern Lushootseed; although it has fallen out of use in favor of English in more modern times, several tribes have attempted to revitalize the language and other traditional teachings.
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