The Ozette Prairies of Olympic National Park - Natural Resources ...

social activities. The year was divided in eight or more phases or months named according to food supplied
such as “salmon-berry days.” [p. 70] Spring: many varieties of roots were collected in the prairies,
principally by Quileute and Quinault. Roots were boiled, dried and stored for the winter. Cedar bark
was peeled off for baskets, mats, raiment, etc. On such expeditions Indians lived in temporary shelters of
hemlock bark or mats. Bark for such abodes was cut on the spot, but sometimes the Indians carried mats
woven of cedarbark. [p. 71] Summer: Some people traded or bartered. Mountain and valley elk were fat
in July and August and Indians hunted them in the mountains. Hunters built brush shelters at convenient
places for a few nights only. Often they carried along skins for shelter roofs if they had many left
from previously hunted elk or deer.
Late in summer (August) storage activities started again. Women went out for berries and sometimes
stayed away for several days. The berries were put into large baskets and some of these containers were
sunk in the cold spring bed, which kept the berries fresh for a long time. The Indians ate such preserved
berries when there were no fresh berries in winter. [p. 71] Fall. At the end of summer, the Indians were
anxiously looking forward to fall fish….The Indians were as interested in a variety as in an abundance
of food. For instance when they were producing fish substantially but estimated that they had more
than enough for consumption, they went berry picking although it might not be equally productive. As
one Quileute informant told me, “The Indians did not want all fish or all whale, but liked to get some of
everything which they wanted to eat. An Indian did not care if he could catch more fish than he could
dig camas.” Choice in production gave the Indians a freedom unknown to most hunting tribes the world
over. [p. 74] An equilibrium had been established between production and social requirements. Indians
had never heard of “full production.” They did not need it. They wanted enough to eat, of course, but
they never thought in terms of maximum utilization of natural resources. Competition played a part in
production. Boasting about ability was a cultural feature. Quantity and efficiency of production were
both well regarded.
[p. 76] Exchange. Exchange is simply customs and institutions which transfer ownership of goods and
services from one individual to another. Potlatches…baskets of camas were a common gift at potlatches.
Trade…intertribal exchange of surpluses. Quileute exchanged (material form the prairies: camas and
other roots, elk meat and fat, elk and deer hides, cedarbark and articles thereof, and bear grass.
[p. 89] Consumption. Consumption in its broadest sense means the destruction of commodities through
various activities including eating, using and trading away goods as needs are satisfied…taboos…rituals…secret
societies and initiations, feasts, potlatches…
[p. 110] Property. The study of the mode of control of things, land or customary property relationships
and wealth. The winter household as the most clearly distinguishable large unit. The winter house was
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