Suttles devoted career to study of Coast Salish peoples

ANACORTES, Wash. — Wayne Suttles devoted his career to ensuring that Coast
Salish cultures would survive.

Beginning in 1946, he made recordings of Coast Salish language speakers;
elicited traditional stories, personal narratives and family histories;
attended longhouse ceremonies and nurtured friendships.

His research and testimony aided efforts by Coast Salish nations to win
federal recognition and regain rights. His book, “Musqueam Reference
Grammar,” begun in 1957 and published in 2004, is credited with reviving
the Musqueam dialect of Halkomelem.

Suttles died May 9 at 87 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. In
appreciation of his life and work, the Samish Indian Nation has ensured
that his memory will live on.

The Samish Indian Nation named a killer whale “Suttles” in the
anthropologist’s honor at a naming ceremony Oct. 1 at Samish’s Fidalgo Bay
Resort.

The orca, labeled J-40 by the Center for Whale Research, is a member of J
pod, one of three pods that spend most of the year in the waters around
Anacortes. It is the sibling of Hy’shqa (J-37), a Samish word meaning
“thank you,” and the offspring of Samish (J-14): Hy’shqa was named by the
Samish in October 2001.

“This is a very important day, not only for the Samish but for the people
in this region,” said William Bailey, who led the ceremony. Of Suttles, he
said: “There couldn’t have been a better way to honor him. He was a giving,
knowledgeable, sharing person and we wanted to remember him in an honorable
way.”

The ceremony started with an opening prayer, followed by an honor song, “O
Si’am” (Si’am means “highly respected persons”). The witnesses were
introduced and a blanket placed on each: Malcolm Suttles, a son of the
anthropologist; Vic Underwood, Samish; Dean Maxwell, mayor of Anacortes;
and Ron Peterson, who is active in a Samish-sponsored senior group.

Rosie Cayou and Dorothy Hill, both Samish, covered the presentation floor
with two blankets. Then the entrance song “Coast Salish Anthem” was sung;
the song had been a gift from Chief Dan George, the late actor, writer and
leader of the Tsleil-waututh Nation in Burrard Inlet, British Columbia.
Bailey then announced the whale’s name and Joyce Underwood carried a framed
photograph of the whale so those present could see it.

Rich Osborne, executive director of the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, told
of research that has been done for 30 years to study and understand the
orca, which struggle to survive in an increasingly difficult environment.
The orca population in Washington state has seesawed over the past 100
years because of captures (which ended in the 1970s), pollution and
declining salmon populations.

The local orca population, which dropped from 99 in 1995 to 79 in 2001, has
rebounded to 90. It is under consideration for listing as an endangered
species by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Underwood said, “The whale is a record keeper of our ocean. Suttles was a
record keeper of our language.”

Maxwell added, “We all value the orcas and our ecosystem.”

After the naming, Shirley Suttles, the anthropologist’s wife, said, “I
don’t think anything could have pleased him more than to have an orca named
after him. He spent his entire life working among the people and the
natural environment of this region.”

The ceremony concluded with a friendship song, dancing, potlatching and
feasting.

Richard Walker is a correspondent reporting from San Juan Island, Wash.
Contact him at rmwalker@rockisland.com.