We left Astoria on Tuesday morning after another delicious breakfast Elfi had prepared, and drove not quite 2,5 hours, mostly along the coast, to the Squaxin Island Indian Reservation south of Shelton/WA, again in pooring rain.
The Squaxin consider themselves as the native people of South Puget Sound, descendants of the maritime people and also known as the People of the Water. 1854 with the Treaty of Medicine Creek seven bands of indians, named for the seven inlets, were confined to the little Squaxin Island, 4,5 miles long and a half mile wide, without good drinking water. The number of island residents dwindled in the course of time and today nobody is living there anymore, but tribal members are spread out. In the last years lots of land has been purchased by the tribe and a thriving community has been established and Squaxin Island became one of the first 30 tribes in the nation to become self-governed.
We checked in in the Little Creek Resort & Casino (see pics above), an architecturally impressive building, modern and comfortable, with spa, pool, several restaurants and - most unique - original indian artwork (pic top left) everywhere!
Leslie picked us up to show us the reservation at 1 pm and we went for a little driving tour, including the golf course (with a great carved wooden pole, see pic), and ending up at the museum. The Squaxin Island Museum (pics) opened in 2002. The architecture is reminiscent of a traditional longhouse, the exhibition with its seven huge wall panels for the seven bands deals with seven different subjects, among them: origins, Indian shaker church, culture, education.
Besides a shop, a library and a gathering space there is artisan craftwork and arts of all kinds, mostly basketery, because that is what the tribe is especially famous for. After our lunch in the museum, extra prepared for us by the casino food & beverage department - "blue oysters" (grilled oysters with blue cheese and bacon bits), sockeye salmon with asparagus and wild rice and fry bread with honey butter as well as "Indian tea" (special herbs, leaves and huckleberries) - we were greeted with a welcome song by Jeremiah George (co-curator of the museum and artist) and got a tour then. We, also, met a very talented artist: Corey "Bear" O'Lague, a Quinault indian.
One famous event in the tribe is the Canoe Journey, which takes place since 1989. The Northwest Coast tribes of WA State and BC take part and are proud of their partly old wooden canoes (as to be seen outside the museum). In 2012 it was organized by the Squaxin tribe.
After a wine tasting at Walter Dacon Wines, famous for Shiraz, Leslie, representing the tribe and promoting tourism in the region, invited us to dinner in the Squaxin Island Seafood Bar in the hotel, a fun place with a long copper table (bar-like) where they served all kinds of shellfish by the pound, steamed or seared. Appetizers were oysters (kumamoto and pacific) on the half shell for Peter and Leslie, crawfish bisque for me, followed by half pounds of each: clams, shrimps and king crab legs (my favorite!) - well wetted in Washington Cabernet.
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