her majesty kickisomlo-cud
Princess Angeline was given her English name by Seattle pioneer Catherine
Maynard. Named Kakiisimla at birth, the daughter of Chief Seattle was
later known as Kickisomlo-Cud (“widow of Cud” in the Duwamish
language). Thinking the widow “far too handsome a woman to carry
a name like that,” Maynard bestowed upon her the name Angeline.
A much-beloved figure in early Seattle, Angeline lived in a shack near
the waterfront and was often seen hobbling along the streets selling handmade
baskets, wearing a bright calico scarf tied beneath her chin.
Angeline’s deeply lined, solemn face was photographer Edward Curtis’ inspiration. Curtis had been making a living in Seattle taking portraits of society matrons, but he changed his focus after he met the chief’s daughter. He saw her digging clams in Seattle’s tideflats and offered her a dollar for every picture she allowed him to shoot. Angeline was happy to comply, saying she preferred having her picture taken to digging for clams.
When Curtis found that his Indian prints sold well, he expanded his portfolio, taking thousands of photos of Native Americans across the western United States. He compiled his work into the 20-volume set The North American Indian, published between 1907 and 1930. (A collection of Curtis’ photographs can be seen at the Flury & Co. gallery in Pioneer Square, at 322 First Avenue South.)
After Curtis’ photos made Angeline’s image familiar, souvenir trinkets showing her face were produced and sold up and down the Pacific coast. When she died in 1896, most of the city’s prominent citizens turned out for her funeral; crowds of mourners lined the route between the church and Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill, where she was buried.
Today Angeline’s grave bears a rough stone slab with a metal plaque upon it, installed by the Seattle Historical Society in 1958. The gravestone makes no mention of her Duwamish name.
