Northwest Coast Native Americans
The Northwest Coast Native Americans lived on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, from southern Alaska down to California. There are mountains to the east, so the region is not very big.
Land and Climate
There are mountains and even volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest region. These volcanoes rarely erupt. Water was a great natural resource in this region. The Native Americans used the Pacific Ocean, lakes, and rivers to survive. There were also lots of cedar tree forests.
It is very rainy in the Northwest Coast, which makes the summers cool and the winters mild (not very cold) and wet.
It is very rainy in the Northwest Coast, which makes the summers cool and the winters mild (not very cold) and wet.
Shelter
The Native Americans in this region lived in villages near the Pacific Ocean. They lived in plank houses. The plank houses were made out of cedar wood planks that were connected to a wooden frame. The roof was made out of bark. These houses were very large (up to 70 feet long) and usually an entire extended family lived in the house (grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins). At the front of the plank house was a large totem pole that was carved from a log. The totem pole was carved to tell about the family that lived in the plank house.
Food
Pacific Northwest Native Americans they ate a lot of seafood because they were so close to the ocean. They ate a lot of salmon (a kind of fish), seals, sea lions, and even whales! The men hunted in their canoes for sea mammals and other fish. They also hunted deer, birds, and small game in the woods. The women would collect clams, shellfish, seaweed, and berries.
Transportation
On land, the Native Americans in this region traveled on foot. In the water, they traveled by dugout canoe. They would carve out the inside of a cedar or fir tree to make their canoes. Then they would go in the ocean to hunt or to trade with other tribes.