The Tanaina Den

Written by Danessa Torres

The Village that the Elwha tribe once thrived in was called Tse-wit-zen. It flourished for over 2700 years and dates back as early as 750 bc. The Village was one of fishing as it was located on the Dam that is now the Port Angeles Harbor. Most of their fishing and Whaling activities occurred on what is now called 'The Straight of Jaun De Fuca.' In present day the Elwha have their reservation on the very out skirts of Port Angeles, and their history is still considered a part of the towns' main history. In 2003, a construction sight accidentally disturbed the area that was once the village, unearthing over 300 graves as well as tons of artifacts, which brought more attention to the Elwha tribe's history.

During most of this time the tribe has been peaceful. They passed down stories like other tribes, one in particular was told quite often around the counsel meetings as part of the tribes history.

One Elwha man was a weakling. None of the younger people would play with him, so he went to look for a spirit. He went all over looking for a spirit. Up the canal and over to Hoko. All over the mountains and he didn’t get anything.

Up by the Little River, he was following the creek and pretty soon he heard something splashing ahead of him. He searched, sneaking over to look down at the creek. He was getting closer to the splashing and he finally could see that person bathing, with a great big limb which he was using for his brush, scraping his body.

The Indian watched it for awhile, wondering . . . that person was just white. He looked down the edge of the creek there and saw something, clothing or fur. He looked at it and he looked at the person and then he saw that the person wasn’t a human being. So he sneaked a little bit farther until he got above that pile of fur.

That person was busy bathing and didn’t notice this Indian up above there. That Indian jumped down and landed on that pile. It was that thing’s clothes. It was a hide and when that Indian landed on that, the one that was bathing, he was shying away. He made signs with his fingers. He signed that he would give that Indian whatever he wanted. Then he took and bent one little finger and then he went to the second one, and finally the Indian said, “Okay.”

That person that was bathing took something, must have been soap or something. He took it and threw it.

So the Indian got off that thing’s clothes and walked back away. Then that thing started coming towards his clothes. When that person got to the pile, in the twinkling of an eye, he just kind of shook himself and he turned into a bear. It was a bear bathing in there, not a human being. That was the spirit the Indian received. He became the strongest man on the whole peninsula.

The man from the on was able to shift into the form of a bear and a few others soon followed him when attacks from people referred to as the cold ones happened. This 'den' was the defense of the tribe until they were safe as well as the land and animals in the surrounding forests. Eventually the cold ones attacks stopped and things calmed down in the territory.

Many years went by and still this story was told, though it was told as a legend rather than history. That was until recently. Attacks started. People who were part of the reservation as well as the town of Port Angeles, the peninsula started disappearing or turning up dead for no apparent reason. Many of the youth of the reservation felt for these attacks, weather it was a family member gone or just a pedestrian they saw often.

Over the course of a few months, the shifting started again, and the counsel leaders once again told the story of the bear, explaining the further details and helping the youth to understand what was happening to them. Helping them to understand why they were able to shift.

Fresh for the first time in over a hundred years, the shifters of the Elwha tribe have appeared, ready to defend all life around them. Ready to deal with the recent growing numbers and attacks from the cold ones that are suddenly everywhere.