In 1856, during the Puget Sound War, Kiki is said to have conveyed a warning from her father to the citizens of Seattle regarding an imminent attack by a large native coalition force. Thanks to this warning, the settlers and neutral native tribespeople were able to protect themselves during the resulting Battle of Seattle.
The
1855 Treaty of Point Elliott required that
all Duwamish Indians leave their land for
reservations, but Kikisoblu remained in Seattle in a waterfront cabin on
Western Avenue between Pike and Pine Streets, near what is now Pike Place
Market and earned a living doing laundry, making baskets and
collecting shellfish along the shores of Puget Sound.
She
got a lot of attention as Chief Seattle’s daughter and many photographs were
taken of her and used on all kinds of souvenir items. In photos, Kikisoblu most
often appears wearing a red bandana, shawl, and many layers of clothing. She
was photographed by many famous people such as Edward S.
Curtis. She would get a dollar when someone took her photo.
Chief
Seattle was confirmed in 1864 and married in the Catholic Church in 1865. When
he died in 1866, he was buried at St. Peter’s cemetery at Suquamish. But his
baptismal record wasn’t found until 2018, when Joan Byrne, an archives
volunteer, was translating sacramental registers written in French by
missionary priests. The record shows he was baptized Noé (Noah) Siyatle on
March 17, 1857, when he was about 71 years old.
Princess Angeline seemed quite a “character” and was known for always having a cigarette, but not so well known for always carrying her rosary and crucifix. Showing her crucifix to people, she would say, “this is my friend”.
She was buried (in a canoe-shaped coffin) in Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill, next to her friend, founding father, Henry Yesler. Years later, Seattle schoolchildren raised money for a headstone.
The Chronicle
of Holy Names Academy reported:
"May 29, 1896. With the death of Angeline Seattle died the last of the direct descendants of the great Chief Seattle for whom this city was named. Angeline—Princess Angeline—as she was generally called, was famous all over the world… Angeline was a familiar figure of the streets, bent and wrinkled, a red handkerchief over her head, a shawl about her, walking slowly and painfully with the aid of a cane; it was no infrequent sight to see this poor old Indian woman seated on the sidewalk devoutly reciting her beads. The kindness and generosity of Seattle's people toward the daughter of the chief… was shown in her funeral obsequies which took place from the Church of Our Lady of Good Help. The church was magnificently decorated; on the somber draped catafalque in a casket in the form of a canoe rested all that was mortal of Princess Angeline."
Due
to the close relationship between Seattle's indigenous population and the
region's orca population, one of the Southern
resident orcas, J17, was nicknamed Princess Angeline after
Kikisoblu. J17's
fourth calf, J53 Kiki, was also named after Kikisoblu.
Two
years ago, a rosary that belonged to Princess Angeline, was gifted to the
Duwamish Tribe by the Archdiocese of Seattle.
“Because
she is the daughter of our chief … to have that little rosary coming back to
the tribe, that is so moving. To me, it’s really spiritual,” said Cecile
Hansen, Chief Seattle’s great-great-grandniece who is a lifelong Catholic and
the longtime chairwoman of the Duwamish Tribal Council.
She
appears to have been eccentric, but how many saints were called so in their
lifetime and even today, by us lesser mortals?
Photos:
Top
& Bottom. Edward Curtis
Middle:
Her "shack with her dog and walking in Seattle