Food
Collected Wapoto root
Food in the Northwest Coast could be found in great abundance. Salmon was the main food source but the people also ate seal, whale, otter, sea lion, porpoise, sea weed, edible invertebrates, shell fish and other types of fish including trout, cod, herring, and smelt. Fish were driven into confined areas using fences then were speared and caught. For fishing in the sea harpoons made of yew wood were used. Salmon were either eaten fresh or dried on racks and stored for later. After being eaten salmon bones were thrown back into the river. Salmon oil and fish eggs were used in cakes. The natives hunted land mammals such as elk, bears, deer, beavers, mountain goat, and porcupine. However, coyotes, wild cats, and cougars were not hunted due to spiritual beliefs. Birds like seagulls, ducks, and geese were hunted. Sea bird eggs were eaten. Fish and game were cooked in pit ovens or stone hearths. There was a large variety of plant resources to be eaten. Many different kinds of berries were collected, made into cakes, and store for later. Camas, wapoto, and bracken fern roots were eaten. Most food was gathered during the summer. People went up and down rivers to fish. Food could also be acquired from trading. For example: the Haida had to trade with the Nisga'a for eulachon.
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Clothing
A Northwest coast chief's clothing.
The Natives wore clothes made of material easily accessible to them. Women wore skirts and capes of cedar bark. The men wore long capes of cedar bark or elk skin that were fringed or painted on the side. They also wore hats woven from split spruce roots that were painted and decorated with the forms of animals in red and black paint. Chiefs wore headdresses.
Shelter
Interior of a longhouse
Shelter in the Northwest Coast was standard. People lived in cedar longhouses that were 50-150 feet long, 20-60 feet wide and could fit up to ten nuclear families (mother, father, and children). The houses belonged to an extended family headed by a chief . The outsides of the houses were painted and decorated with the familiy's totems and important symbols of their ancestors. The houses had detachable sliding and roofing that could be carried to the familiy's seasonal villages and resource locations. Each family had their own housing, fishing and hunting sites. Longhouses were usually built on a river bank, at the mouth of a river, or on an inlet. Houses were grouped together to form villages.
Transportation
Kwakiutl Canoes
Transportation in the Northwest Coast was mainly canoes. Canoes were made out of a hollowed out cedar log. The canoe was shaped by filling the hole with water and dropping hot stones in it. The outsides of a canoe were painted and carved. Canoes could range from a 2-3 man canoe to a large sea faring canoe that could carry 50-60 people. Large canoes could also hold up to 10, 000 pounds of cargo.
Population
There were 60 000 people living in the area in the 14th century.
Before the Europeans came there was a population of around 30 000.
There are over 50 000 registered natives living in the Northwest Coast region today.
Before the Europeans came there was a population of around 30 000.
There are over 50 000 registered natives living in the Northwest Coast region today.
Tools
The People of the Northwest Coast used tools made of cedar, stone, and shells. Stone sledge hammers were used for splitting wood. For hunting, the people used bows, arrows, snare, deadfalls, harpoons and clubs. Fish lines hooks, nets, and underwater traps were used for fishing. Other tools included D-adzes, elbow adzes, hammers and chisels made of stone. Wooden trays and platters were used to serve food.