New Moon by The Buffalo Post

The Pack: from left, Alex Meraz, Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, and Kiowa Gordon.

We are  pleased to announce that the Quileute Nation has been added to Tribalpedia. The tribe has been doing quite well since members of the tribe have starred in the Twilight sagas. This was a positive experience for the young members, and for the tribe in general.

Here are excerpts from several interviews collected by the Buffalo Post.

“The Quileute Nation on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula has found itself in the spotlight with the runaway success of Stephenie Meyer’s “Twlight” series… .According to  councilwoman Anna Rose Counsell, The Twilight phenomenon gives the Quileutes the opportunity to educate those about who we are by way of sharing our own stories, food, song and dance passed down from generation to generation…   Visitors to the Quileute Nation – there have been 70,000 so far this year, the tribe estimates – can hear traditional storytelling on special fan weekends. The tribe also hosts weekly healing drum circles on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Center where fans can learn more about its culture,….Finally, says Taté Walker of Sioux Falls, S.D., movies for teens take a positive view of Native Americans… Walker, program manager for the Native American Scholars program…In the book, one of the lead characterers, Jacob Black – played by Taylor Lautner in the movies – is a member of the Quileute Nation… Here’s this Native kid with a typical lifestyle. … He’s the good guy. He’s a legitimate main character.. .Native American Scholars program is part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sioux Empire. It matches Native American students with mentors… You can’t tell me that there aren’t kids thinking, ‘That’s me someday,’” Walker tells Becker. “They can see themselves represented in pop culture, and that will connect them more to the world around them.”

 

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it…generation after generation.”-Pearl S. Buck (June 26, 1892 – March 6, 1973)

Tags: Quileute Nation, Tribalpedia, Twilight Sagas, Wolves, Wolves. Twilight Sagas

Manuel Valdes, Native American Times

It appears that members of the Quileute Nation have become famous as a result of the Twilight vampire movies. The area where the Quileute reside (La Push, Washington)  is where the vampire/werewolf  sagas by  Stephenie Meyer takes place. It is also the home of one of the movie’s main characters, the popular werewolf Jacob Black. The members plan to capitalize on this sudden fame and interest in the tribe’s culture.

“At their Oceanside Resort, the tribe is opening a cabin decorated in a wolf theme (this is in recognition to both the tribe’s folklore story of its origins from wolves transformed into humans, and to the Jacob character) …At a Quileute store in the reservation town of La Push, handmade beanie hats with “Jacob” stitched on them sell for nearly $35. There’s also a “Jacob’s Java” espresso stand.”

Aside from generating money for the members,  many believe that this recognition places the Quileute Nation and other American Indians into a more contemporary  (and much needed) light  (see the Rick Kerns article Who Are American Indians in the 21st Century?)

The members of the Quileute Nation seem very happy about the total experience.

Says tribal chairwoman Anna Rose Counsell-Geyer,

“The interest in our tribe was a surprise, a good surprise. I thought to myself, people are going to actually get to know the Quileute and we are going to be recognized as a people. The real Quileute…This is going to be imprinted on people’s lives for generations to come.”

This is an interesting approach to American Indian recognition that many view as positive. Read the article and share your thoughts with us!

Tags: Quileute Nation, Twilight saga, vampire, werewolf