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Native American Legends: Seatco (Siatco)
Name: Seatco
Tribal affiliation: Chehalis,
Klallam,
Puget Sound Salish,
Yakama
Alternate spellings: Siatco, Tsiatko, Ts'iatkw, See-ah-tik, See-atco, Seeahtkch, Seeahtlk, Tsiahk, Seeahtik
Also known as: Stick Indians, Night People
Type: Forest spirit,
Bigfoot
Related figures in other tribes: Sasquatch (Coast Salish),
Woodmen (Athabaskan)
In Salishan mythology, Seatco are large, hairy wild men of the forest. There are two different kinds of Seatco that
appear in folklore: powerful but comparatively benign forest spirits sometimes referred to as Night People
(similar to the Sasquatch of the Halkomelem tribes,) and fearsome, malevolent man-eaters sometimes referred to as
Stick Indians. The two beings are
often confused in folklore and anthropology alike, because it is believed to
antagonize these spirits to call them by their true names, so general terms like Seatco
(which just means "spirit,") Night People, and Stick Indians are much more commonly used by Northwest
Native Americans.
The Story of Stick Indians or Tsiatko:
Legends about the Stick Indians from the Puyallup tribe.
Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
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Salish Myths and Legends:
Anthology of legends and traditional stories from the Salishan tribes.
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Additional Resources
Salish mythology
Lushootseed language
Klallam language
Salish words
Washington Native tribes
Northwest Coast people
Salishans
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