The Journey of the Strong People

The Jamestown S'Klallam tribal crest is the eagle and salmon.

The Museum & Arts Center is proud to announce the opening of the Jamestown S'Klallam Longhouse Exhibit. Thank you to Patrick Adams and all of the Jamestown S'Klallam tribal members who participated in a Blessing Ceremony for the exhibit on May 25, 2010, and to everyone who attended. The exhibit is a cooperative endeavor between the Museum & Arts Center and the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. CLICK HERE for photos of the Blessing Ceremony.

The Jamestown S'Klallam are known as the "Strong People," shown here as written in the Klallam language.

Longhouses on the Olympic Peninsula

Longhouses were once located near the Dungeness Spit, Washington Harbor, and elsewhere throughout the Olympic Peninsula. These homes were constructed by the S'Klallam people for permanent winter housing and for such large gatherings as feasts, potlatches, and ceremonies.

The Longhouse Exhibit exterior is built of cedar milled by Jerry Monson of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.

Longhouses ranged in size from 40 to 100 feet long and up to 20 feet wide. Using cedar trees split into grooved planks, they were constructed with ridgepoles on which the roofing, made of overlapping planks, was laid. Inside were sleeping platforms and food storage areas, and an interior pit running lengthwise through the building held the cooking and heating fires. The roofing could be opened to allow smoke from the fires to escape, and in multi-family dwellings, the fires were often situated near the side walls. Carvings and paintings, which often decorated the exterior of a longhouse, were used to signify family history and clan.

This paddle affixed over the Longhouse Exhibit doorway was carved and painted by Jeff Monson of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. The background design depicts the rising moon, and the colors are those traditionally used in Jamestown S'Klallam totems.

The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe

The S'Klallam people have lived on the North Olympic Peninsula in Washington state for thousands of years, with the Sequim-Dungeness Valley being home to the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. The Tribe's deep ties to its traditional lands have remained unbroken despite the social upheaval and political challenges (See: Point No Point Treaty of 1855) that resulted from non-Native settlement in the area more than 150 years ago. Having refused reservation land, the Tribe pooled monetary resources to purchase its traditional lands at Jamestown in 1874, and later acquired land at Blyn in 1981.

Just as the Tribe's ties to the land run deep, so, too, does a proud culture, rich in art, spirituality and song, and committed to preserving its heritage, sharing knowledge, and achieving independence and economic self-suffiency individually and as a whole. Today, the Blyn-based Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe is a flourishing and integral contributor to the economic development of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley and beyond, as well as a steward of the area's environmental health. The Tribe's Natural Resources Department is active in both estuarine/marine and riparian habitat restoration, including that of the Dungeness River, and monitors the harvest of Dungeness crab, geoduck clam, spot shrimp, as well as other invertebrates. The Tribe also strengthens the larger community socially through cultural and educational programs, and economically via its ownership of numerous area businesses, including the Jamestown Family Health Clinic, Jamestown Dental Clinic, Jamestown Health and Medical Supplies, Dungeness Golf Course, Seven Cedars Casino, Jamestown Economic Development Authority, which includes Jamestown HomeBuilding, Jamestown Information Technologies, Jamestown Excavating, and JKT Construction, as well as numerous other tribally-owned enterprises.

For more information about the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, including its history and current activities, please visit its official website: www.jamestowntribe.org

This headdress by Dale Faulstich of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe is among the artifacts displayed in the Longhouse Exhibit.

Longhouse Exhibit Acknowledgements

The Jamestown S'Klallam Longhouse Exhibit at the Museum & Arts Center is a cooperative effort between the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe Cultural Committee and MAC. Above the entrance is a paddle carved and painted by Jeff Monson of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, and the longhouse exterior is made of cedar milled by Jerry Monson of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. The longhouse was constructed by Rocky Fankhouser, Larry Wing, John Majors and Mike Vollenweider. The exhibit includes a display area for items loaned by the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, including several contemporary art pieces from the Northwest Native Expressions Art Gallery in Blyn. The interior displays, which feature the history of the Tribe and current tribal activities and art, were researched by Jamestown Cultural Coordinator Vickie Carroll, Exhibit Committee members Lyn Fiveash and Steph Ellyas, Priscilla Hudson, and Katherine Vollenweider.

Diplays on Jamestown S'Klallam tribal history, tribal artifacts and artwork, courtesy of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, are featured inside the Longhouse Exhibit.