Pacific Coast

Hunting/diet - Fishing

Pacific Salmon

Humpback Whale

Oysters

Crab Turtl

e

•women prepared fish in two ways: some fish was eaten fresh, but most of it was dried and saved for the winter months

Hunting/diet - Land

Black-tailed deer

ElkBear

Mountain Goat

•Food, including meats and vegetables, were baked, steamed, or boiled without the use of pots or pans.

Plants The Northwest Coastal People used cedar trees to make many things, including: houses baskets boxes blankets canoes masks

Tools

Sledgehammer

Seal Clubs

Basket For Clams

•For hunting they used bows and arrows, snares, deadfalls, and harpoons.

•For fishing they used nets, underwater traps, bone and wood hooks, and harpoons. They also used fish lines, which were made out of cedar.

Clothing

Salish goat wool coat Haida beaver cape

•The women made most of the clothing out of softened cedar wood or bark, animal leather, and wool.

Transportation

•The canoes were large and particularly long, some were up to 50 feet long and 8 feet wide.

•Each canoe could hold up between 2 and 50 people and 10,000 pounds of cargo at one time.

Housing

Longhouses at Ksan VillageKwakwakw'wakw house front

• The Northwest Coastal People used cedar to build their houses.

•Some villages had as many as 1,000 people, all living in only 30 houses

Housing

They lived in longhouses or 'Big houses' constructed out of cedar planks.

Each longhouse was 50-150 feet long and 20-60 feet wide, and housed several families.

•Inside each family had bunk beds for sleeping. Above each bunk, there were storage areas and open shelves. Below the bottom bunks, they dug holes (around two feet deep) to store and cool food.

Art Art played a major part in Northwest Coast culture. They were known for their:

Basketry (basket, hats) Woodworking (masks, totem poles) Weaving (Chilkat blankets)

Music Potlatch usually corresponded with a

person's change in social status, for example, marriage, birth, death, and coming of age. It included a feast, singing and costumed dancers.

Since Potlatch was such a big celebration it often took more than a year to plan and lasted as long as two to three weeks.

Instruments Some instruments

used by the indigenous people were hand drums made of animal hides, plank drums, log drums, box drums, along with whistlers, wood clappers, and rattles.

Economy The Northwest Coast people never developed a

democracy. Their society was ruled by wealth. The wealthiest clan had the most power.

Any of the Northwest Coast groups had someone who was the oldest and highest ranking individual (closest link to the common ancestor) was named the Chief of the family.

The Chief of the most powerful family also became the village Chief.

VideosCedar Bark Weaving -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7aunDwsy5M

The Importance Of Potlatch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JVJ76FVVxY

References Northwest Coastal People. (n.d.). Northwest

Coastal People. Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp

PEOPLE OF THE NORTHWEST COAST - FIRST NATIONS IN B.C. - BC ARCHIVES TIME MACHINE. (n.d.). PEOPLE OF THE NORTHWEST COAST - FIRST NATIONS IN B.C. - BC ARCHIVES TIME MACHINE. Retrieved October 28, 2014, from http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach