1. Native Americans of the Northwest Coast The Native Americans of the Northwest Coast cultural region lived on a narrow strip of land along the Pacific Coast. This region was south of the Inuits’ ice fields and stretched from present-day Alaska to present-day California. Dense fir, pine, and cedar forests grew right to the ocean’s shore. Many people settled on the flat, rocky beaches. The climate here was mild, but the area received heavy rainfall most of the year. Many tribes, including the Tlingits, Chinooks, and Kwakiutls (kwah-kee-YOO-tels), adapted to life here, and some of their descendants still live in the region. Wildlife was plentiful in the area. Fish, especially salmon, filled the streams. Migrating whales swam up and down the coast. Deer, elk, mountain goats, bears, and wolves lived in the forests. The Kwakiutls used wood from the forest for housing. They built huge wooden structures that served as homes for several families. Outside homes they placed totem poles. On these cedar poles, the Kwakiutls carved figures of animals, humans, and spirits. These carvings told about important events in the family’s history and indicated the family’s social position.
The Oregon coast is part of the Northwest Coast cultural region. Native Americans of the Northwest relied on the thick forests and local wildlife to meet their needs.
Tribes in the Northwest Coast, such as the Tlingits and Kwakiutls, used trees from the environment to carve totem poles like the one shown here.
Clothes made from cedar bark protected Kwakiutls from the wet climate. Women wove the bark’s soft inner core into warm, waterproof coats and hats. Kwakiutls also used cedar bark to make rope. They used this rope for fishing nets and to hold together fish traps made from willow trees. They shaped each trap like a cone. Salmon swam into the cone and could not escape.
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Lesson 3 Native American Cultural Regions
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