Quinault << kwuh NUHLT >> are a Native American people of the Pacific coast region of Washington state, in the northwestern United States. The Quinault belong to a larger group known as Coastal Salish (see Salish ). The Coastal Salish share similar cultural and religious traditions.
The Quinault made their living by fishing and hunting and by gathering food from wild plants. Salmon caught in local rivers served as their most important resource. They also hunted marine mammals from large dugout canoes carved from cedar logs. Family groups shared large wooden dwellings known as longhouses.
The Quinault lived in a region bordered by sandy beaches in the south and rocky coastal cliffs to the north. They traded with nearby tribes in these regions for other goods.
The Lewis and Clark expedition, an early exploration of the northwestern United States, first met the Quinault in the winter of 1805 to 1806. Many settlers soon followed. In 1856, the Quinault signed the Quinault River Treaty. The treaty ceded (gave away) most of their lands to the United States. Many Quinault today live on or near a reservation, land set aside for Native American use through treaty. They are joined in one nation with several smaller coastal tribes. These tribes include the Chehalis, Chinook, Cowlitz, Hoh, Queet, and Quileute peoples. The Quinault Nation reservation has its own tribal government, laws, police, and public services.
