Northwest Coastal Indigenous Peoples
The Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast are known for their rich culture and close connection to the sea. They lived in villages along the Pacific coast, from Alaska to northern California. The Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples were skilled fishers, hunters, and woodworkers, creating beautiful totem poles and canoes. They believed in many spirits and held special ceremonies to honor them. Despite facing many challenges, including contact with European settlers, the Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples have preserved their culture and continue to share their traditions today.
Location and Environment
The Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast lived in what is now Alaska along the Pacific Ocean down the coast to northern California. This was a rugged strip of land with many small islands, deep inlets, and narrow beaches. The mountains rise to the shore in many places. Thick spruce, cedar, and fir forests dominate the area, supplying an endless wood supply. Many rivers and streams cross the land. By the 1750s, more than 100,000 Indigenous people lived in this area because it had richer natural resources than any other area of North America.
Housing and Shelter
Most villages consisted of large rectangular houses. Each housed 30 to 40 people. They were made by covering large beams with planked sides gabled in the north. The posts were often decorated with carved figures. The earth floors were divided by woven mats into family units. Several families lived in one of these large structures. Each family was allowed a space about the size of a barn stall. Each family had its fire, but cookfires in the center of the building were shared. In the further south, the homes had low conical roofs. In the north, sweat houses were built for both men and women, and men only in the south. Large totem poles carved from tree trunks stood in front of the homes. The totem poles showed the titles of the head of the household.
Model of Plank Houses Built by Students
Clothing and Adornments
The Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples wore little clothing. Except for long journeys, they went barefoot. The men wore basketry or fur hats, fiber rain capes, and skin robes. The men wore breechcloths. The men tattooed their arms and hands to measure dentalium, a shell strung together and used as money. The women living in the Washington area wore fringed cedar-bark or goatskin skirts. The women wore fiber string aprons or fore-and-aft skin aprons in other places.
The women wore basketry hats, rain capes, sleeveless jackets, and some skin robes. Some women tattooed their chins. The fiber clothing was made from woven strips of bark.
