Description
The Tillamook are a Native American tribe from coastal Oregon of the Salish linguistic group. The name "Tillamook" is a Chinook language term meaning "people of the village, sometimes it is given as a Coast Salish term, meaning "Land of Many Waters". The Tillamook people traditionally lived in an area ranging from Tillamook Head in the north, to Cape Foulweather and extending to the summit of the Coast Range mountains. Coastal Oregon Native Americans calculates that the population was about 2200 in at the beginning of the 19th century, based on written historic accounts. The first documented encounter of Europeans with the Tillamook was in 1788 by Robert Haswell, second mate on Robert Gray's ship.
Language
Salishan
Culture
The Tillamook Tribe was a Northwest tribe that was known for their religion, basket-making, and their differences from the Salish people to the north of them. They were skilled basket-weavers, and had a detailed mythology with links to existing events; the Story of the Thunderbird and Whale, for example, reflects the large earthquake in that region in 1700. he Tillamook exercised gender roles in numerous ways. During infancy, children were named at an ear-piercing ceremony where boys had their nasal septa pierced. A boy's first food kill and a girl's first gathered food were reserved for the elderly. At the onset of puberty, girls were secluded and underwent a series of ritual behaviors and food taboos.