North Cascades An Ethnographic Overview and Assessment of North Cascades National Park Service Complex

This study is an ethnographic overview and assessment of North Cascades National Park Service complex. It reviews the ethnographic and ethnohistoric literature to assess and evaluate the available data base for the purposes of meeting National Park Service management needs. The ethnographic literature was found to consist of three main types: traditional ethnographies, primarily from the early 1900s, that consisted of descriptive materials attempting to give an overview of cultural patterns; reports of the Indian Claims Commission which utilized existing ethnographic and historic data to delineate tribal claims; and specific research on narrowly-defined topics that analyzed sites or resource use. The ethnohistorical data consisted of early explorers and fur traders reports and journals; the reminiscences of early Euroamerican settlers in areas peripheral to the North Cascades National Park Service complex; and historical overviews that primarily discussed the Euroamerican experience in areas near park lands. The final portion of the report evaluates the data for its use in park management. Generally the data base was found to be inadequate for management needs. Recommendations for the collection of subsequent data to inventory and assess the uses of park lands by park-associated Native American populations are made with a design to meet the research goals.