Traditional Stories of the Northwest Coast Nations
THE NORTHWEST COAST AND ITS PEOPLE The Northwest Coast presses against the Pacific Ocean to the west It is more than 1,500 miles 2,400 km long The region begins in southern Alaska a diverse land with many islands and fjords The Northwest Coast’s rocky shores sweep south into British Columbia Washington and Oregon In these areas the wild coast gives way to giant trees There are stands of pine fir and cedar The forest creeps west up the steep Coast and Cascade mountain ranges Some of the peaks here reach more than 10,000 feet 3,000 m high Native people have lived in the Northwest for thousands of years More than 40 different Native tribes in at least five distinct cultural regions live along the coast and islands Among the tribes are the Tlingit Haida Makah and Chinook The tribes are diverse in The distinctive landscape of the Northwest Coast influenced the people that live there 6
The Tlingit village of Kake sits on the Alaska coastline their geography languages and customs However these groups also share some elements of their cultures Traditionally coastal nations lived in separate summer and winter villages They set up their homes near the ocean or rivers The waters became their food source People fished in the ocean for halibut They harvested prawns crabs and clams Salmon was the most important fish Tribes caught salmon in coastal and inland areas Another important resource was the great cedar tree Most tribes built wood-plank homes from 8
these trees The Coast Salish built some of the largest houses This tribal group included several smaller tribes such as the Lummi The Lummi call themselves Lhaq’temish or people of the sea Their houses could be up to 120 feet 36 m long THE SPOKEN WORD As with all human cultures stories have long been important to Northwest Coast peoples They are a way for children to learn about the history and culture of 9
