Cultus Bay

Cultus Bay - Digwadsh (pronounced D’GWAD’wk)

The Snohomish occupied three villages on South Whidbey: Cultus Bay, Sandy Point (described as sizable by George Vancouver), and Bush Point.

Cultus Bay or Digwadsh was the largest and most important of the three permanent Snohomish villages located on South Whidbey Island. Surrounded by a cedar palisade, the village had six or seven longhouses, two cemeteries, and a potlatch house visited on occasion by people from the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes.

Cultus Bay was a favorite gathering place to dig calms and smoke salmon. The village included several longhouses, enclosed by a high row of cedar poles for protection from Haida Indian raids.

It's potlatch house was second in importance only to Hibulb and tribes from as far south as the Duwamish would come to the village for a potlatch. For many generations, it was the headquarters of important chiefs. Many of the Snohomish living at Tulalip today had great grandparents who lived at Cultus Bay.