Many Native American (U.S.) and First Nations (Canada) stories describe earthquake effects: shaking, tsunamis, and subsidence. Native peoples have inhabited the Cascadia coast for thousands of years and witnessed cycle after cycle of great earthquakes. Some stories are myths, others are historical.

One northern-California story describes a huge earthquake in which elders tell the young to run for high ground because of ensuing floodwaters. After spending a cold night in the hills, the young people find that all trace of their village has been washed away.

Other stories depict supernatural beings that caused the earthquake while at battle. Stories from the Hoh and Quileute tribes of the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington describe an epic battle between the supernatural beings Thunderbird and Whale.

"The great Thunderbird finally carried the weighty animal to its nest in the lofty mountains and there was the final and terrible contest fought. There was a shaking, jumping up and trembling of the earth beneath, and a rolling up of the great waters."

Printable PDF file of "Dating the 1700 Cascadia Earthquake - Great Coastal Earthquakes in Native Stories" , 2005, By R. S. Ludwin, R. Dennis, D. Carver, A. D. McMillan, R. Losey, J. Clague, C. Jonientz-Trisler, J. Bowechop, J. Wray, and K. James, Seismological Research Letters, V. 76, No. 2

Printable PDF file of "TsuInfo" (2002), a newsletter for coastal emergency managers - Cascadia Megathrust Earthquakes in Pacific Northwest Indian myths and legends", by Ruth Ludwin

Cascadia Megathrust Earthquakes in Pacific Northwest Indian myths and legends - Early Draft Article (1999) by Ruth Ludwin with links to full text of some stories

By examining a variety of Native American tribal accounts, Ruth Ludwin, Deborah Carver and other researchers have identified consistencies in Native American lore that support a great earthquake in the Pacific Northwest.

Printable Versions | References