Cultus Bay
The name "Cultus" (kʰəltəs in modern Grande Ronde orthography) means "worthless" in Chinook Jargon. In Lushootseed, the name is dəgʷasx̌ (also spelled dəgʷadᶻq). There are multiple possible meanings of dəgʷasx̌. Possible meanings include "inside the basket" or "lots of little crabs."
The dəgʷasx̌abš, a Snohomish subgroup, had their main village on the sand spit on the eastern side of the bay. The village was highly influential and prestigious, and was widely known at the time. The village was composed of a great potlatch house, three longhouses, and two single-family houses. The longhouses and potlatch house each had several families living in it. The potlatch house in the village brought visitors from as far as the Duwamish and Suquamish.
Around 1855, a small stone wall was constructed around the village to keep the spit from being washed away. In 1877, most of the residents left to the Tulalip Reservation. The village was abandoned sometime after this, although by 1953, there were still three Snohomish living in the area.
The Cultus Bay Estuary has been diked off, minimizing open tidal exchange. A tide-gate and a small culvert allow for a little salt water exchange.
Notes
- ^ Also spelled dəgʷadᶻq
References
- ^ Tweddell, Colin E. (August 1953). A Historical and Ethnological Study of the Snohomish Indian People: A Report Specifically Covering Their Aboriginal and Continued Existence, and Their Effective Occupation of a Definable Territory. Coast Salish and Western Washington Indians. Vol. II. New York & London: Garland Publishing (published 1974). p. 140.
- ^ Bates, Dawn; Hess, Thom; Hilbert, Vi (1994). Lushootseed Dictionary. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-97323-4. OCLC 29877333.
- ^ Hilbert, Vi; Miller, Jay; Zahir, Zalmai (2001). sdaʔdaʔ gʷəɬ dibəɬ ləšucid ʔacaciɬtalbixʷ - Puget Sound Geography. Original Manuscript from T.T. Waterman. Lushootseed Press. p. 355. ISBN 979-8750945764.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cultus Bay
- ^ Zenk, Henry; Johnson, Tony; Hamilton, Sarah Braun. Chinuk Wawa (Chinook Jargon) etymologies (PDF). Oregon: Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde. p. 280.
- ^ "Unusual names, odd spellings found in Washington". The Spokesman-Review. Dec 24, 1977. pp. A12. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ Tweddell 1953, p. 154-155.
- ^ Tweddell 1953, p. 156.
- ^ "Cultus Bay". Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
47°55′00″N 122°23′58″W / 47.9166074°N 122.3994225°W
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