Quileute – Kʷòʔlíyot’ 

Since time immemorial, the Quileute Tribe, now located at the village of La Push, has lived and hunted across the vast coastal territories of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Through their Move to Higher Ground project, the Quileute Tribe has led the way in adapting to coastal geohazards in the Pacific Northwest. The Move to Higher Ground project resulted in the successful relocation of the Quileute Tribal School (QTS) out of the Cascadia tsunami zone in Summer 2022. For many years, QTS and the Quileute Tribe have generously welcomed UW students into their school and community, sharing their culture with us. Liʔatsḳal (Thank you).

About

Program History

Over the past three years, UW graduate student Madeleine Lucas has led a team of UW students to develop and teach week-long Earth Science curricula focused on geology (2022-23), seismology (2023-24), and geomorphology (2024-25) to QTS high school students over UW’s spring break as part of the Riverways STEM Alternative Spring Break (STEM ASB) program. In 2023-2024, with support from the Cascadia CoPes Hub, Madeleine expanded this program into a year-long engagement with QTS through the Riverways Culture and Science Exchange (CASE) Program. Two years ago, the CASE seismology program included a student internship where three QTS high schoolers worked on the “7 Shakers” team to install a RaspberryShake seismometer in QTS, design and build a community seismic display, monitor earthquakes, and translate seismological terms into Quileute.

Over the past three years, UW graduate student Madeleine Lucas has led a team of UW students to develop and teach week-long Earth Science curricula focused on geology (2022–23), seismology (2023–24), and geomorphology (2024–25) to QTS high school students over UW’s spring break as part of the Riverways STEM Alternative Spring Break (STEM ASB) program. In 2023–2024, with support from the Cascadia CoPes Hub, Madeleine expanded this program into a year-long engagement with QTS through the Riverways Culture and Science Exchange (CASE) Program.

The 2023–2024 year-long CASE program included a student internship, in which three QTS high schoolers joined the “7 Shakers” team to install a RaspberryShake seismometer in QTS, design and build a community seismic display, monitor earthquakes, and translate seismological terms into Quileute as part of the seismology curriculum.

The year-long program continued in 2024–2025, with support from CRESCENT, with a new focus on geomorphology. In past years, QTS students expressed interest in learning about the geoscience of local waterways, so the 2024–2025 curriculum centered on the geomorphology of the rivers that weave through the Quileute watershed and empty into the Pacific Ocean at La Push. The waterways of the Quileute Nation are central to Quileute life and culture, and the program emphasized how understanding the geomorphology of these landforms and waterways—from both Indigenous and Western perspectives—can help communities better understand and prepare for future Cascadia geohazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods.

In-class earthquake engineering activity in partnership with UW geotechnical engineering program (2024).

Learning basket weaving with Hoh elder Marie Riebe as part of cultural exchange (2024).

High school field trip to the HOHM seismometer led by Pacific Northwest Seismic Network field engineer Doug Gibbons (2024).

RaspberryShake seismic station installed in the Quileute Tribal School by high school interns Maggie, Kaylani, and Ethen (2024).

QTS high school student artwork reflecting on a week of lessons about Cascadia earthquakes, tsunamis, and community resilience (2024).

About

Program Overview

During the 2025-26 CCASE program, our team will develop and teach a 5-day, high school tsunami curriculum and continue our high school internship program. In past years, QTS students have expressed interest in learning about the geoscience of subduction zone induced tsunamis. So, our curriculum will be focused on the history and evidence of tsunamis on the coast of Washington. Híx̣as asaḳɫásalo kʷoˀlíyot̓, yíx̣ kʷoˀliyot̓ilo t̓siḳ̓áti (Quileute Land is Quileute Culture). The coast of the Quileute Nation is central to Quileute life and culture. In our program, we will emphasize combining the oral tradition of tsunami and earthquake history of the Quileute people with the western science perspective of paleotsunami events.

During the 2024-25 CCASE program, our team will develop and teach a 5-day, high school geomorphology curriculum and lead a high school internship program. In past years, QTS students have expressed interest in learning about the geoscience of local waterways. So, our curriculum will be focused on the geomorphology of the rivers that weave through the Quileute watershed and empty into the Pacific Ocean at La Push. Híx̣as asaḳɫásalo kʷoˀlíyot̓, yíx̣ kʷoˀliyot̓ilo t̓siḳ̓áti (Quileute Land is Quileute Culture). The waterways of the Quileute Nation are central to Quileute life and culture. In our program, we will emphasize how understanding the geomorphology of the landforms and waterways around us, from both indigenous and western perspectives, can allow us to better understand and prepare for future Cascadia geohazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods.