article
The Snoqualmie: a Puget Sound chiefdom
Ethnology • 26 (2) • Published In 1987 • Pages: 121-136
By: Tollefson, Kenneth Dean.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a retrospective analysis of the social, economic, political, and religious behavior and related customs of the Snoqualmie during the decade and a half prior to forced removal from their traditional lands. The central argument is that earlier scholars had wrongly described their pre-treaty political organization and that of their culturally-related neighbors as lacking any sociologically relevant political hierarchy or centralized leadership (e.g. chiefs and sub-chiefs) above the village level. The discussion identifies a range of factors that led to increased political complexity. The most important factor was the advent of Euromerican intrusion that required collective action in defense of land rights and local autonomy. Other factors include demographic change and resource scarcity in local communities. Kinship groups and village communities responded to these internal challenges by instituting organized ceremonials and other cultural mechanisms that facilitated resource exchange and effective defense against slave raiders. These pragmatic inter-village interactions and adaptive responses led to the rise of a hierarchy of leaders that exercised significant influence beyond their natal village communities.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Identification
- Cultural identity and pride
- Settlement patterns
- Community structure
- Community heads
- Inter-community relations
- Territorial hierarchy
- Form and rules of government
- Chief executive
- Status, role, and prestige
- Organized ceremonial
- Exchange transactions
- Instigation of war
- Warfare
- Classes
- Slavery
- External relations
- External trade
- Acculturation and culture contact
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Southern Coast Salish
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- North America
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Northwest Coast and California
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem ; 2019
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- not applicable
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1840-1855
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Snoqualmie River, King county, Washington, United States
- NotesAdditional notes
- Kenneth D. Tollefson
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 135-136)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 64005713
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Snoqualmie Indians