This culture was located in what is now Washington, Oregon, and Parts of Northern California. It also reached up into southern Canada. There were many different tribes located in this area. Three of those were the Makah, Chinook, and Tillamook. This area was mostly covered in forests, but some parts were affected by the rain shadow of the the Coastal and Cascade ranges of mountains and tended to be quite dry.
Homes (Shelters)
Many of their homes were made of wooden planks. The wood came from the surrounding forests. Usually more than one family lived together; often these families were related to each other. Their homes were large with no windows. They did have a hole in the center for letting out the smoke from fires.
Outside each home and village was a totem pole. These were carved with animals and creatures that told a story about the family or village. The totems identified the family's clan. These totems were painted and decorated with animals, birds and spirit characters that were carved on them.
Food
Fish was the most important kind of meat for the Northwest Cultures tribes. They ate salmon. These salmon were born in the rivers of the Northwest and then traveled to the ocean for much of their lives. When the salmon returned, they had to fight against the river's water flow (current) to reach the area where they were born. The oil from the salmon and even whales was used for cooking and also for medicine.
The tribes gathered all kinds of berries and roots from their area.
Tools
The Northwest Cultures made tools out of anything they found in their area. Small bones were used to puncture leather so that leather skins could be sewn together with part of the intestines from animals used for thread. Rocks were used as hammers. Flint or obsidian rock were chipped to be used arrowheads, spears, knives, and other weapons. Bowls could be made out of carves wood, baskets, or gourds.
Clothing
Clothing was made out of dried woven grass and the bark of cedar trees and also animal skins. These were often decorated with bones and painted using dyes made from plants. These tribes wore capes and hats outside on rainy or snowy days.
Beliefs
The Northwest Culture people thought their ancestors were their guardian spirits. They believed that if they acted out stories of their ancestors, the ancestors could help them in life. The carvings of spirits on their totem poles, boats, masks, blankets, and bones were their way of expressing their beliefs.
Page constructed by B. Jones - Technology Instructor Specialist with the Bellevue, Nebraska Public Schools (BA and MS in Elementary Education and Curriculum and Instruction) Updated: 09/10/2012 08:29:30 AM