Point No Point Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Point No Point Treaty was signed on January 26, 1855 at Point No Point
, on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula
. Governor of Washington Territory
, Isaac Stevens
, convened the treaty
council on January 25, with the S'Klallam, the Chimakum
, and the Skokomish
tribes. Under the terms of the treaty, the original inhabitants of northern Kitsap Peninsula
and Olympic Peninsula
were to cede ownership of their land in exchange for small reservations in Hood Canal
and a payment of $60,000 from the federal government. It also required the natives to trade only with the United States
, to free all their slaves, and it abjured them not to acquire new slaves.
On the first day of the council, treaty provisions were translated from English to the Chinook Jargon
for the 1,200 natives who assembled at the sand spit
they called Hahdskus, across Admiralty Inlet
from Whidbey Island
, which is today the site of a lighthouse
.
Skokomish
leader, Hool-hol-tan, expressed concern about finding sufficient food, and did not like the lands being offered as a reservation. L'Hau-at-scha-uk, a To-anhooch, was afraid he would die if he left his ancestral lands. Others objected that the land was being bought too cheaply, now that they understood what it was worth. The whites played down the importance of the land, but the first day ended without an agreement.
But by the next morning the various chiefs and headmen returned under white flags to add their marks to the treaty, which had been prepared in its final form with no intention of serving as a starting point for negotiations.
Point No Point
Point No Point is an outcropping of land on the northeast point of the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington, the United States. It was the location of the signing of the Point No Point Treaty. It was named by Charles Wilkes during the United States Exploring Expedition of Puget Sound in 1841...
, on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula
Kitsap Peninsula
The Kitsap Peninsula is an arm of land that is part of the larger Olympic Peninsula in Washington state that lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound. Hood Canal separates Kitsap Peninsula from the rest of the Olympic Peninsula...
. Governor of Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
, Isaac Stevens
Isaac Stevens
Isaac Ingalls Stevens was the first governor of Washington Territory, a United States Congressman, and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War until his death at the Battle of Chantilly...
, convened the treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
council on January 25, with the S'Klallam, the Chimakum
Chimakum
The Chimakum, also spelled Chemakum and Chimacum , were a Native American people who lived in the northeastern portion of the Olympic Peninsula, between Hood Canal and Discovery Bay through the mid-19th century...
, and the Skokomish
Skokomish (tribe)
The Skokomish are one of nine tribes of the Twana, a Native American people of western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives along Hood Canal, a fjord-like inlet on the west side of the Kitsap Peninsula and the Puget Sound basin...
tribes. Under the terms of the treaty, the original inhabitants of northern Kitsap Peninsula
Kitsap Peninsula
The Kitsap Peninsula is an arm of land that is part of the larger Olympic Peninsula in Washington state that lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound. Hood Canal separates Kitsap Peninsula from the rest of the Olympic Peninsula...
and Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
were to cede ownership of their land in exchange for small reservations in Hood Canal
Hood Canal
Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the state of Washington. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway.-Geography:...
and a payment of $60,000 from the federal government. It also required the natives to trade only with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, to free all their slaves, and it abjured them not to acquire new slaves.
On the first day of the council, treaty provisions were translated from English to the Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
for the 1,200 natives who assembled at the sand spit
Spit (landform)
A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...
they called Hahdskus, across Admiralty Inlet
Admiralty Inlet
Admiralty Inlet is a strait in the U.S. state of Washington connecting the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound. It lies between Whidbey Island and the northeastern part of the Olympic Peninsula....
from Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
, which is today the site of a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
.
Skokomish
Skokomish (tribe)
The Skokomish are one of nine tribes of the Twana, a Native American people of western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives along Hood Canal, a fjord-like inlet on the west side of the Kitsap Peninsula and the Puget Sound basin...
leader, Hool-hol-tan, expressed concern about finding sufficient food, and did not like the lands being offered as a reservation. L'Hau-at-scha-uk, a To-anhooch, was afraid he would die if he left his ancestral lands. Others objected that the land was being bought too cheaply, now that they understood what it was worth. The whites played down the importance of the land, but the first day ended without an agreement.
But by the next morning the various chiefs and headmen returned under white flags to add their marks to the treaty, which had been prepared in its final form with no intention of serving as a starting point for negotiations.
External links
- Treaty of Point No Point, 1855 at HistoryLink.org
- Treaty With The S'Klallam, 1855 at Jamestowntribe.org