The Quileute Legends: Fact and Fiction

With the widespread and critically acclaimed success of the New York Times bestselling book Twilight and its subsequent movie, other areas of interest commonly found within the Twilight universe has also experienced a boost of reflected popularity. Among these are queries regarding the main character’s “species” such as vampires and werewolves, the abilities and powers these creatures possess, the historical background that brought forth such beings, and, not surprisingly, how one could suggestively become one of these enigmatic and powerful immortals.

Another such popular search is information regarding the Quileute legends and myths, specifically one legend being regarded as The Cold Ones, popularized by one of the supporting characters Jacob Black, who is also of Quileute origin. The accuracy of the novel with regards to this is mixed with historical fact and the offspring of the author’s imagination.

The Quileute tribe is an actual Native American tribe in western Washington State currently numbering at around 750 in population. The tribe is one of fishermen and whalers, as they used to rely heavily on fishing from the Pacific Ocean and local rivers for their food during pre-colonial times. Currently, they are residing at the Quileute Indian Reservation located at Clallam County, Washington.

The Quileute legends are numerous and diverse. It is true that the legends speak of the Quileute tribe as descendants of wolves turned into men. The name Quileute itself come the tribal word kwoli, meaning wolf. The main characters in the legends are Q’waiti, the creator and benevolent leader of the Quileute tribe, Raven, a mischievous and roguish individual who often misbehaves but is nonetheless helpful towards the Quileute, Thunderbird, a humongous bird capable of carrying a whale in its talons and who’s flapping wings creates thunderous sounds, and finally the villain Dask’ija, meant to frighten the younger population from misbehaving and is portrayed as an ogress who captures children, puts them in her basket, and carries them home to eat.

There is no mention of The Cold Ones in any Quileute legend. By the author’s admission, this is not an original Quileute legend but rather her own creation and was only introduced as a Quileute legend in the novel to supplement the plot. The closest Quileute legend that resembles The Cold Ones is one that tells about a gigantic battle between two monsters. Being equally matched, neither could gain the upper hand, but both were seriously injured. The battle ended with no victor, and the monsters went back home, sat down inside a cave, and cried as they nursed their painful injuries. The tears flowing from both monsters gathered up and became the Sol Duc and Olympic hot springs. Although there is no mention of either monster being vampire or werewolf, one may draw a parallel that this battle could be similar to the feud between the Cold Ones and the wolf tribe in the novel.

Although the novel is mixed with historical inaccuracies about Quileute legends as well as solid truth, this in no way does not deter the reading of such works. On the contrary, the series has gained such a following that it has brought the Quileute into the spotlight, bringing with it massive education about the tribe and their legends as more people attempt to research their origins. Both a work of satisfying fiction and doing a service to the aged Native American tribe, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series has done a fine job, and the Quileute’s rich culture gets the attention it deserves.