č̓ƛ̕aʔqs (Rocky Point)
Priest Point Village
The Priest Point Village was located on the southeastern shoreline of the Tulalip Reservation. We know that the village
had three longhouses and they were not fortified. In 2001, heavy equipment exposed human remains during a bulkhead installation
project. Excavation of the remains revealed overwhelming archaeological evidence of the č̓ƛ̕aʔqs
Village at Priest Point.
Our ancestors depended on the Hibulb villagers to warn them of hostile tribes in the territory. Once warned of an
attack, the elders, women and children could escape while the others could prepare for battle. č̓ƛ̕aʔqs (Rocky Point) name was changed to Priest Point after Father Eugene Casimir Chirouse set up his first
Catholic mission and school in 1857.
Artifacts recovered in the č̓ƛ̕aʔqs site shell midden consisted of mammals, fish and bird
bones and a wide variety of stone tools including abraders, adze blades, drills, projectile points and scrapers.
It is not part of our cultural values to uncover our ancestral remains, personal items or ancient village sites. Since this
project inadvertently exposed our ancestors we were compelled to properly document and rebury what was uncovered. We have
selected a few images from the excavation. The images that we show here is out of respect for our č̓ƛ̕aʔqs people. Our ancestors are at rest and at home never to be disturbed again.