Pacific Northwest Native Americans The Northwest Coast cultural

Pacific Northwest Native Americans

The Northwest Coast cultural region had plentiful natural resources; including many tall, sturdy cedar trees. The Native Americans hunted in these large forests. The woods were full of wildlife, wild roots, nuts, and berries. The coastal waters and rivers were filled with fish (salmon, sturgeon, and trout) and seals. The salmon held a special place of honor; they held a special ceremony honoring the first salmon caught each spring. The people of the Northwest did not have to grow crops for food. They got all they needed from hunting and gathering.

A potlatch was a Native American celebration in which the hosts give gifts to their guests. With such a wealth of resources, the tribes were able to hold potlatches. Copper shields and stacks of blankets were common gifts. The totem pole, a carved post with animals or other images representing a person’s ancestors, was another way to show wealth (it shows their rank in a tribe). Some totem poles were as tall as a four-story building. Gigantic fir trees were used to build totem poles. A master carver also used a single cedar log to make a dugout canoe. The Native Americans used canoes to hunt at sea. They hunted not only seals, but also sea otters and even whales! Such prey provided meat for food, furs for clothing, and oil for lamps and heating.

A shaman was a person people came to when they weren’t feeling well. A shaman was an important person in this culture because the people of the tribe believed that a shaman could cure them. Both men and women could become a shaman. Shamans sometimes performed dancing ceremonies. They often wore carved masks during the ceremonies. Sometimes they changed their appearance during the dance by opening and closing different parts of the masks. Hidden performers made wooden birds swoop down on the audience. Or they made howling sounds that seemed to rise from the floor. At the end of the dance, the dancer might have disappeared into a puff of smoke! Masks, rattles, serving dishes were carved from wood and decorated with paint. These objects reflected the Native Americans’ respect for the spirits that they felt around them.

What did they wear? Where did they live? Thanks to the mild coastal climate, the Native Americans could often wear light clothing. Women wove cedar bark into fabric. They used the fabric to make skirts for themselves and long shirts for the men. They also wore clothing made of buck skin, taken from the deer of the forests. In colder weather, they wore animal furs. Their homes were made of logs. The logs provided the upright posts for a house and its roof. Planks cut from the logs formed the walls and roof. They lived along the North Pacific Coast from the Gulf of Alaska to northern California.