Local Tribes

The area that would become Oak Harbor was first inhabited by the Lower Skagit people, a subgroup known as the Skwdabs. Exploration began in the mid-1800s, with the first official land claims done by Ulrich Freund, Martin Taftezon and Charles Sumner in 1851. The year marking the beginning of Oak Harbor marked the end of tribes living in the area. In 1848, it noted that there was around 8,000 native people on the island. By the early 1900s, less than a dozen known Native Americans still remained in North Whidbey. The few holdouts, such as Tom Martin and Charley Snaklum, had surprisingly good relations with the pioneers, considering the history of violence with natives on Whidbey. Right is a picture of "Old" Tom Martin and his wife with Captain George Morse and Sybella Barrington.
Old Tom With People

What They Did And What They Do Today

Living as a Native American was about survival, gathering plants, fishing and hunting. The hours required to do these tasks were much less than what we do today. Cedar was invaluable, used for homes, canoes, clothing and baskets. Most of their nutrients came from gathering plants, or if you lived on the shore, shellfish. Salmon running from June to November kept people occupied with fishing. During the cooler months, people would take care of their spiritual needs. This continued as they moved into reservations, and well into the 1900s. In a twist of irony, many of the native tribes were unaffected by the Great Depression in the 1930s, because they were already living bare and off the land.

Today, most reservations are better known for having casinos but only about 42% of tribes have casinos, nationally. But reservations are more than just gaming and entertainment hubs. They are communities, with their own governments, law enforcement and healthcare. Local tribes provide assistance to emergency services by cross-deputizing law enforcement and sharing fire responsibilities. Local tribes like the Swinomish have also been working to improve their healthcare facilities, especially in response to the Opioid Crisis. One approach is making centers open to all people in the community, native and non-native. This works to centralize the services, making the process for help clear-cut and easy. Some tribes also provide a health allowance to assist with costs, and even some funding for higher education.


Salmon
Who They Were

When most people think of native tribes, they think of the Swinomish, who are based just northeast of Oak Harbor on their reservation in La Conner or the Samish with their reservation on Fidalgo Island. But before the Treaty of Point Elliot, which put tribes into reservations, and before Ship Master Joesph Whidbey laid eyes on Deception Pass, many different tribes lived on Whidbey. Whidbey was shared primarily between the Lower Skagit and Snohomish tribes. The Lower Skagit people and several subgroups lived on the Northern part of the island, while the Snohomish had permanent settlements south.

Today, these tribes are working on reclaiming their roots, through methods of cultural revitalization. The dialect Lushootseed was spoken by most tribes of the area, passed down by oral methods such as storytelling. Despite the assimilation to English, Lushootseed still exists as a language, and many tribes are working to preserve it for generations to come. Many tribes utilize social media and other technology to assist with instruction. Furthermore, some colleges offer tribal languages as a language course.
What Has Been Found

A number of ancestral remains have been found on Whidbey Island, predating the coming of settlers. One of more notable instances was the discovery of what was likely a burial ground located under Pioneer Way in 2011. The remains were unearthed as the city began the project to make the street a one-way avenue. In 2018, more remains were found in Central Whidbey, after a storm unearthed them. Ancestral remains and associated artifacts are reinterred in close proximity to where they were found, but unassociated pre-contact artifacts are in the state archive, which is the Burke Museum in Seattle. 

One of the most notable artifacts kept is a piece of basketry. While this may seem like a small find, basketry is of great cultural importance to native tribes. Like most things, it was passed down by generations teaching other generations. The way a basket was made tells you a lot about the person, the use, and even where it was made.
Discovery