Cultus Bay () is a bay in

Island County Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 86,857. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor. The county's name reflects the fact that it is compos ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. The name "Cultus" ( in modern Grande Ronde orthography) means "worthless" in

Chinook Jargon Chinook Jargon (' or ', also known simply as ''Chinook'' or ''Jargon'') is a language originating as a pidgin language, pidgin trade language in the Pacific Northwest. It spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to othe ...

. In Lushootseed, the name is (also spelled ). There are multiple possible meanings of . Possible meanings include "inside the basket" or "lots of little crabs." The , 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 A potlatch is a gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States,Harkin, Michael E., 2001, Potlatch in Anthropology, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Scienc ...

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 Duwamish may refer to: People * Duwamish people, a Lushootseed-speaking Indigenous people in Washington state * Duwamish Tribe, an unrecognized tribe of Duwamish descendants Places * Duwamish Head, a promontory jutting into Elliott Bay * Duw ...

and

Suquamish The Suquamish () are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American people, located in present-day Washington in the United States. They are a southern Coast Salish people. Today, most Suquamish people are enrolled in the federally recognized Su ...

. 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

References

Bays of Washington (state) Bays of Island County, Washington Washington (state) placenames of Native American origin {{IslandCountyWA-geo-stub