Listen to a recorded reading of this page. providing frontal pieces for homes, grave markers and other decorative purposes. There were those at the top- the nobles, the middle- the commoners, and the bottom-the slaves. This included animals, trees, people, and even some inanimate objects like the wind, storms, and water. Made of plank from cedar, they were both wide and long and put together with wooden pegs. Northwest Coast tribes include the Chinook, Haida, Tlingit, Kwakiutl, and Coast Salish. Historically, Pacific Northwest Indians shared their spiritual beliefs and customs through stories, songs and dances. They accepted death as a matter of fact and believed the afterlife was a happy place with sunny skies and bountiful hunting grounds. The Sioux people called the Great Spirit "Wakan Tanka". The Northwest Coast Indians are Native Americans who lived along the Pacific coast and on offshore islands of northwestern North America.The area stretches from what is now the southern border of Alaska to northwestern California. Distribution of Northwest Coast Indians Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Northwest Coast tribes enjoyed various types of fish including Salmon, in addition to whale, sea lion, porpoise, seal, and sea otter. Some masks even had a Impressive. Many tribes also had a ceremonial pipe they would smoke using tobacco and other herbs. The Indians developed a social system that was highly stratified. Religion. ceremonies were often a time for acknowledging these spirits through song and dance. The people also used a wide variety of plant resources were used for food, technological items, and medicines. The Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest believed that all living things were watched over by guardian spirits. Possessions were also sometimes destroyed to show guests that they were so wealthy it didn't matter. The canoes were known to hold massive amounts of fish in addition to about 20 warriors. They believed the salmons chose to sacrifice themselves for The traditional Native American religion was revived with the Ghost Dance. With a lack of any written language, these Indians relied on the totem poles to pass down their Their beliefs were based in animism, where the natural world interacts with a supernatural world. second carved face inside the first to unmask as a story was told. Northwest Coast Indian, member of any of the Native American peoples inhabiting a narrow belt of Pacific coastland and offshore islands from the southern border of Alaska to northwestern California. The sheer abundance of food made these tribes wealthy. Deer, moose and elk are just a few of the many animals these Indians hunted on land. Totem poles could be huge, Animism was a commonly shared doctrine, or belief, of the indigenous people of North America and Canada including the Northwest Coast Native American tribes. tribal history through intricate carvings, pictures and colors. There was no shortage of food sources in the forest areas that blanketed the Northwest region. Winter stories, legends, and myths through images. In Northwest Coast culture, their customs, beliefs, and history were passed down orally through stories, songs, and dances. Religion centered around the guardian spirit. Of all the resources available to the Northwest Coast peoples, the two most important were cedar and salmon. They were very talented artists and most well-known for their handcrafted totem poles. Although there were no windows, there was a small hole in the roof to let fire out and fresh air inside. Dancing, gift-giving, storytelling, and The indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest -- in British Columbia, Alaska, Washington and Oregon -- each have their own history, culture and religious traditions. Totem poles were most commonly found in front of a home to tell a families Within the Pacific Northwest, many different nations developed, each with their own distinct history, culture, and society. The value of generosity is perhaps most dramatically figured in the northern practice known in English as giveaway or in the potlatch of the Northwest Coast peoples, in which property and gifts are ceremonially distributed. Beautiful and intricate cedar dance masked were carved out of wood. Animism is based on the spiritual or religious idea that the universe and all natural objects have souls or spirits. Totem poles, with their vivid colors, are the most recognizable of their arts. Every surface of the poles was history, stories, and myths through the generations. Their homes were known to be very sturdy and large. Bear claw necklaces, as well as beaver teeth and clamshells were very popular. Young boys would have to discover their own personal guardian spirit before they could become men. Because the Northwest Coast Indians had no written language, the totem poles were a very important part of their culture. They were often used in storytelling at ceremonies such as a potlatch. The Pacific Northwest Coast at one time had the most densely populated areas of indigenous people ever recorded in Canada. Introduction - Northwest Indian Tribes The Northwest Coast American Indians lived in clans and had a native population of about 250,000. celebrate many occasions such as marriage, death, new clan houses and the raising of a totem pole. Some cultures in this region were very similar and share certain elements, such as the importance of salmon to their c… The Sun Dance was a religious ceremony practiced by the Sioux Indians. Sitting Bull saw his vision of the Battle of Little Big Horn while performing the Sun Dance. carved into highly stylized representations of bears, wolves, eagles, ravens, thunderbirds, beavers and other animals, plus human figures. humans so their spirits could go on to live again like humans, in houses under the sea. eating were all part of the ceremony. Among the more important plant resources were twelve kinds of berries (most of them smashed, dried into cakes, stored for later use), the starchy roots of camas and wapato, and the roots of bracken fern. The First Salmon was an important feast honoring the salmon, one of their most plentiful food sources. They felt that the smoke provided a pathway to the spirit world. They had stories about why certain things occurred, for example, the changes in season. The feast was a way to show off wealth. Most homes were built right along the seashore. The totem poles allowed them to record The Northwest Coastal People lived on the west coast of Canada, occupying the western shore and the islands of British Columbia, and reaching up into the Yukon. Potlatches were a way to The Religion, Ceremonies and Beliefs were based on Totemism and Animism. Generosity, in the Native American tradition, is a religious act as well as a social one. Massive canoes were carved from cedar trees. Many represented family crests or told stories from family or tribal history.