Quick history of the northwest coast native AmericansEnvironment and region:
The northwest coast culture area reaches more than 2,000 miles from Alaska on the north to the northern tip of California on the south. It is called coastal because it covers very littler territory east to west. The northwest coast coastal area also included a partly submerged offshore mountain chain which form many large and small islands. Of which the most important are the Queen Charlotte Islands and Vancouver Island (Garbarino, Sasso 155). |
Prehistory and development |
Until recently, relatively little archaeology has been conducted along the northwest coast, which means we know very little about the prehistory of the area. It appears that the region was first occupied long ago by peoples entering from two or more areas adjacent to the Northwest Coast. Coastal-dwelling groups came southward from Alaska, and interior Plateau peoples descended along the major rivers that flowed westward to the Pacific. There is evidence suggesting that the Paleo Indian peoples occupied some areas of the interior coast as early as 9000 B. C. As the area progressed and grew, by 5000 B. C. many of the basic features of the traditional Northwest Coast marine-oriented life well established. The Northwest Coast peoples came to rely heavily upon the marine resources of the area, particularly fish such as salmon.
Contact and exchange between Northwest Coast and the Alaskan coast are evident in the presence of tools and other artifacts which reflect major cultural influences. Certain whaling practices and myths suggest contact between Eskimo and Northwest Coast Indians in late prehistoric times. Many of the details of prehistoric culture change and development within this region remain for archaeologists to discover. Wherever the people came from it is clear by 1000 B.C. they had established genuine Northwest Coast traditions, and by 1000 A.D. the traditions had covered most of the areas. Large permanent villages, ranked societies, warfare, extensive trade, elaborate woodworking and art of the region had been developed as central features of the Northwest Coast culture. Hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans, the societies of the Northwest Coast had developed ways of life that rank among the most complex and sedentary for nonagricultural peoples anywhere (Garbarino, Sasso 156-157). |
Defining features |
Subsistence: Of all the resources available to the Northwest Coast peoples, the two most important were cedar and salmon. Cedar provided the raw material from which houses, boats, baskets, boxes, clothing, and carvings of every imaginable kind were made. The people also used a wide variety of plant resources were used for food, technological items, and medicines. Salmon were taken using a variety of techniques, ranging from the simple (nets, spears) to the technologically sophisticated (seine nets, reef nets). Although salmon were eaten fresh, prodigious amounts were wind or smoke dried and stored for later use.
Settlement Patterns: Most of the people followed a cyclical pattern of movement from winter villages to spring, summer, and fall resource procurement locations. Winter villages were located at scattered areas adjacent to the shores of large rivers, the mainland coast, and along island shores. Some winter villages had as many as 35-40 rectangular cedar-plank houses arranged in streetlike rows. The large splendid houses of the Tsimshian, Haida, and Tlingit were inhabited by anywhere from several to as many as ten or a dozen nuclear families (husband, wife, small children). Some villages had as many as 40 houses, most were small and it was rare to find a community with more than a dozen such communal houses. Ideally, a village consisted of several separate houses, carved poles, fish-drying racks, caches of food and raw materials, and sweathouses. Tribal organization and social structure: The northern tribes of the Northwest Coast were matrilineal meaning they traced descent through the women; farther south, some groups (Coast Salish, Nootkan) traced descent bilaterally, through both mother and father; and in the extreme south, several others (e.g., Chinook) were also bilateral but with some emphasis on the father's side in matters of group membership and inheritance. And at least one group, the Kwakiutl, were ambilineal, with inheritance passing through either the mother's or father's line. Among the matrilineal groups fishing sites, hunting territories, and gathering areas, were owned by and access to resources was strictly controlled (Smith - Cabrillo.edu). In the north the local leadership was hereditary where as in the southern areas wealth generally determined social rank and political position (Garbarino, Sasso 161) Customs and religion: Common to the belief systems of all Northwest Coast people was a complex centered around the guardian spirit. The guardian spirit was manifested in many kinds of inanimate and animate objects and was obtained during a period of self-sacrifice, fasting and praying. Additionally, some guardian spirits were associated with a person's kin group and one, by virtue of kinship, had a right to such a spirit. The relationship between a person and her/his guardian spirit was very personal, not divulged, but sometimes was expressed through song and dance during winter ceremonials (Smith – Cabrillo.edu). Events of social importance were proclaimed at a feast known as a potlatch is originally a Chinook word. Potlaching took many forms within a group and varied from tribe to tribe. At potlaches social positions were formerly validated such as a chief’s death, a new chief, or other social rankings. A potlach given for a positon such as chief always lasted several days and included singing, dancing, drama, games, and feasting. Among Northwest Coast people it was a virtue to distribute wealth and not accumulate it. As such, hosts of potlaches would invite nearby villages and spend months in preparations for feeding their guests and bestowing valuable gifts among their guests (Garbarino, Sasso 162-163). |
Sources:
Garbarino, Merwyn S., and Robert F. Sasso. Native American Heritage. Third ed. Long Grove, IL: Waveland, 1976. Print.
Smith, CR. "Northwest Coast Culture Area." An Introduction to North America's Native People. Cabrillo.edu, 09 Mar. 2000. Web.
Map image: http://ww2.valdosta.edu/~jlgoble/map.jpg
Garbarino, Merwyn S., and Robert F. Sasso. Native American Heritage. Third ed. Long Grove, IL: Waveland, 1976. Print.
Smith, CR. "Northwest Coast Culture Area." An Introduction to North America's Native People. Cabrillo.edu, 09 Mar. 2000. Web.
Map image: http://ww2.valdosta.edu/~jlgoble/map.jpg