The Quinault language is the ancestral language of the Quinault people of the Washington coast and a member of the Salishan language family. For countless generations, it was spoken by Quinault families and communities, connecting people through shared stories, teachings, and traditions passed down from elders to youth.
Today, Quinault is a sleeping language, with no remaining first-language speakers. Like many Indigenous languages, it was put to sleep through the lasting impacts of colonization and forced assimilation. But a sleeping language is not a lost language. With more than 3,000 enrolled members, the Quinault Indian Nation is working to awaken Quinault through classes, community programs, family events, and online learning opportunities. This course was created by the Quinault Indian Nation Language Department, whose mission is to help bring the language back into daily life and ensure that future generations can once again hear and speak the words of their ancestors.