Quileute

The Quileute (/ˈkwɪliːuːt/; Quileute: kʷòʔlí·yot̓) are a Native American people Indigenous to western Washington state in the United States. Quileute people are represented by the federally recognized Quileute Tribe. Some Quileute are enrolled in the federally recognized Quinault Indian Nation.

The Quileute have a long history of occupation on the Olympic Peninsula, with early sites dating back 9,000 years. In the 18th century, the Quileutes first encountered European traders, but contact was infrequent until 1855, when they were party to the Quinault Treaty with the United States. The Quileute agreed to cede their land and move to the Quinault Indian Reservation, however most remained in place. In 1889, the Quileute Reservation was established for the Quileute people at La Push. After the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act, the people of the Quileute Reservation formed the Quileute Tribe in 1936.

The Quileute people speak the Quileute language (kʷòʔlí·yot̓ísk̓ʷa), belonging to the Chimakuan language family. Only the extinct Chemakum language is related to Quileute.

Like many Northwest Coast nations, in precontact times the Quileute relied on fishing from local rivers and the Pacific Ocean for food. They built plank houses (longhouses) to protect themselves from the harsh, wet winters west of the Cascade Mountains.