PEOPLES OF THE NORTHWEST The Northwest is the traditional homeland of many American Indian nations This map shows the areas where some of them lived before Europeans arrived in the region Tlingit Haida Tsimshian Tsimshian Bella Coola Comox Pentlatch Nuu-chah-nulth Makah Chinook Tillamook Kwakwaka’wakw Kwakwaka’wakw Lushootseed Lushootseed CULTURAL AREAS Arctic Northwest Coast Plateau Plains Northeast Subarctic Other Cultural area border International border State province border More than thirty nations lived in this region They spoke many different languages from different language families These language families are called Wakashan wah-KA shehn Coast Salish SAY-lish Chinook shi-NOOK and Tsimshian CHIM-shee-un Some nations spoke languages that no other nations spoke These languages were Tlingit KLINK-it or TLING-kit and Haida Among the better-known Northwest nations are the Tlingit Haida Tsimshian Kwakwaka’wakw KWAK-walk-ya-walk Nuu-chah-nulth NEW-chah-nulth Makah mah-KAW and Chinook Coast Salish is a language family But the term is often used to describe the many nations 6
that spoke Coast Salish languages The Coast Salish region is broken up into North Coast Salish which includes the Bella Coola beh-la-KOO-la nation Central Coast Salish which includes the Comox KOH-muhks Pentlatch PENT-latch and Lushootseed LUH-shoot-seed and South Coast Salish which includes the Tillamook TILL-ah-muhk In the United States these peoples are known as American Indians or Northwest Indians But in Canada these nations are referred to as indigenous aboriginal or First Nations peoples The region is filled with lakes rivers and trees The landscape and weather allow for abundant resources So the MEANING OF NATIONS NAMES NATION Makah MEANING Cape dwellers Nuu-chah-nulth Among the mountains Tlingit People Tsimshian People inside the Skeena River 7
The rocky and tree-lined Northwest Coast provided all the resources Northwest Indians needed to thrive in the region Northwest Indians never had to worry about finding enough food This allowed them to spend more time on social and cultural activities Northwest Indians created and decorated practical items such as dishes and clothing They practiced many rituals and ceremonies Their society was broken up into social classes And due to trade and contact with the Europeans Northwest Indians were quite wealthy Like most American Indians the nations of the Northwest were forced onto reservations in the nineteenth century In Canada the government took away First Nations lands The 8
nations were left with portions of land called reserves But the native peoples of the Northwest fought against the loss of their land and traditions In the twentieth century the Northwest Indians were able to gain back much of their land and rights Many Northwest Indians still live on and care for the same lands where their ancestors thrived LANGUAGE FAMILIES OF THE NORTHWEST LANGUAGE FAMILY MAJOR PEOPLES Coast Salish Bella Coola Comox Lushootseed Pentlatch Tillamook Tsimshian Tsimshian Wakashan Kwakwaka’wakw Makah Nuu-chah-nulth Tlingit Haida Chinook Tlingit Haida Chinook 9
