Copalis
Copalis refers to a small indigenous group traditionally located in a coastal area characterized by abundant marine resources. Their subsistence was heavily reliant on fishing and harvesting marine products, which played a central role in their cultural practices, including rituals like the First Salmon Ceremony. The Copalis also engaged in hunting inland for larger game such as bear, deer, and elk, while smaller animals were caught using traps. Their approach to land use included rights of usufruct, which allowed them to manage resources like whaling areas, berry patches, and timber regions sustainably.
The group's first documented encounter occurred during the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805-1806, where they were recorded to have a population of about 200 individuals living in ten dwellings. The arrival of fur traders and the establishment of Fort Vancouver in 1825 significantly altered their socioeconomic landscape, leading to challenges such as disease and cultural disruption from outside influences including missionaries and settlers. Despite these challenges, the Copalis community retains a rich heritage deeply connected to their environment and traditional practices.
Copalis
Category: Tribe
Culture area: Northwest Coast
Language group: Salishan
Primary location: Grays Harbor, Washington
Traditionally the Copalis, a relatively small group, lived in an area nearly surrounded by water. Division of labor was based on age, sex, status, and ability. The importance of fish and marine products was reflected in various rituals, technology, status, and the First Salmon Ceremony. Inland areas were hunted for bear, deer, and elk; smaller animals were taken by traps and snares for food, skin, and by-products. Rights of usufruct applied to whaling and clamming beaches, berry patches, barnacle stacks, and timber areas. Low tides provided a variety of foods. Numerous food plants were utilized, particularly camas.
Though earlier naval expeditions had probably visited the Copalis, first documentation was by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in the years 1805-1806, who estimated the population to be two hundred, in a total of ten dwellings. By 1811, fur trappers and traders were in the area, but the opening of Fort Vancouver in 1825 by Hudson’s Bay Company brought considerable socioeconomic change—including a major epidemic of malaria. Missions and missionaries, loggers, and settlers in the Quinault and Lower Chalis area sustained deculturation.