Skagit Indians. Significance unknown. Also called:
- Hum-a-luh, own name, meaning “the people.”
Skagit Connections. The Skagit belonged to the coastal division of the Salishan linguistic stock.
Skagit Location. On Skagit and Stillaguamish Rivers except about their mouths.
Skagit Subdivisions
From Smith, 1941
- Base’lelotsed, on Skagit River from Van Horn to roughly 3 miles above Rockport and Sauk River almost to the mouth of Suiattle, including the village of Tca’gwalk, at the mouth of Sauk River.
- Baska’dsadsiuk, on the south bank of Skagit River from Hamilton to Birdsview, including a village opposite Hamilton.
- Baske’kwiuk, on Skagit River above Rockport, including a village at Marble Mount at the mouth of the Cascade River.
- Baslo’halok, on the north bank of the Skagit from Hamilton to Birdsview, including a settlement at Hamilton.
- Duwa’ha, on the mainland drainages from South Bellingham to Bayview including part of Lake Whatcom, Lake Samish and Samish River, including the village of Batsla’thllaos, at Bayview on Padilla Bay.
- Nookachamps, on Skagit River from Mount Vernon to Sedro Woolley and Nookachamps River drainage including Big Lake, including a village back of Mount Vernon just below the concrete bridge, and Tsla’tlabsh on Big Lake.
- Sauk, on Sauk River above the confluence of the Suiattle River, including a settlement on Sauk prairie above Darrington.
- Sba’leuk, on Skagit River from above Birdsview to above Concrete, including a village at Concrete.
- Sikwigwi’lts, on Skagit River from Sedro Woolley to below Lyman, including a village on the flats near Sedro Woolley.
- Stillaguamish, on Stillaguamish River from Arlington up, including villages at Arlington and Trafton.
- Suiattle, on Suiattle River, including a village not far about the mouth of Suiattle River.
- Tcubaa’bish, on Skagit River from Lyman to below Hamilton, including Day Creek drainage, and including a village at the mouth of Dry Creek.
Skagit Population. The Skagit population is given by Mooney (1928) with the Swinomish and some other tribes, as 1,200 in 1780. Gibbs (1877) estimated there were 300 Skagit proper in 1853. The census of 1910 returned 56 under this name. In 1923 the United States Indian Office entered 221 “Swinomish” in their returns, including evidently the Skagit and some other tribes; in 1937 it gave an estimate of 200 Skagit.
Connection in which the Skagit Indians have become noted. Skagit River, which flows into Puget Sound, Skagit County, and a post hamlet preserve the name of the Skagit Indians.