Twilight site sells Quileute items

Quileute tribe starts Twilight-inspired items onlineThe Quileute tribe has launched a Web site to sell Twilight-themed merchandise handcrafted by tribal artisans.

Cedar wolf rattles and paddles, woven cedar baskets and hats, canned smoked salmon and other goods are available at www.twilight-quileute.com.

"Traveling across our great country and observing other native tribes commercially marketing their wares in a successful and respectful manner motivated us to explore the concept of promoting culturally appropriate authentic Quileute items online," said Chairwoman Anna Rose Counsell-Geyer.

"Though we began this exploration prior to the Twilight phenomenon, I am delighted for the artisans in the village who have a global audience interested in owning a part of authentic Quileute culture, and thrilled we can share our art with fans and collectors who are unable to visit LaPush personally."

Students at the Quileute Tribal School made hand-cut cedar paddle necklaces which are modeled after the ones worn by the character Emily in the movie, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," which was based on the second book in the Twilight series, New Moon.
Comment:  For more on the subject, see Quileutes Embrace Twilight Tourism and Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.

Below:  "This paddle necklace is one of the items Quileute Tribal School children are making for the tribe's e-commerce site inspired by the Twilight books and movies."

Twilight-Quileute.com

The Quileute Nation's website alludes only indirectly to the Twilight phenomenon. No doubt this is for the best, since the tribe has existed for ages before Twilight and will exist for ages after it.

But the tribe was missing a bet by not providing anything for fans searching for "Twilight" and "Quileute." Now it's rectified that with a few dedicated websites.

The main one, Twilight-Quileute.com, offers the following sections:

Our Story:  A window summarizing the tribe's genuine history and culture.

"Authentic Quileute" Store

Quileute Nation fan blog

Visit Our Photo Gallery:  Photos of the Twilight actors visiting the reservation and posing with tribal members.

Latest News at Quileute Nation:  Links to stories about Twilight and the Quileute Nation.

Comment:  No doubt thanks to publicist Jackie Jacobs, the Quileute Nation is getting more media-savvy all the time. This site is a good way to benefit from the fans' interest without tainting the tribe's official website.

You still can find all sorts of fan sites: Quileutes.com, QuileuteLegend.com, QuileuteLegend.net, QuileuteWolfPack.com, etc. Eventually these sites will fall by the wayside as the fans grow up and get a life. And the tribe's site will remain.

For more on the subject, see Quileute Name Used Without Approval and Quileute Werewolves in Twilight.