Who were the first people living in the area explored by Capt. Vancouver? How did they live? What were their beliefs? What kinds of foods did they eat? These are some of the questions which will be explored in this section.

The Puyallup & Nisqually Tribes:

The two main tribes which lived in the area around Commencement Bay were the Puyallup (pronounced Pew-al-up) and the Nisqually (pronounced Nis-kwal-lee). They were friendly tribes and shared each other’s berry picking and hunting grounds during the summer and fished together in the Nisqually and Puyallup Rivers in the winter.

Making Use of Their Resources:

The natural resources of the area (water, soil, forest materials, minerals, and wildlife) were very important to these people. They depended on these resources around them to stay alive. Since they were limited to the local environment for food, shelter, and clothing material, they had developed ingenious and clever ways to use the resources to protect themselves from the climate in which they lived. Nature had provided them with rich and plentiful resources; food was everywhere - on land and in the water. The climate was mild, but it rained a lot during the winter as it still does today in the Pacific Northwest.