Northwest Coastal Indians
B y: Matheus Rodrigues, Jasmyn Hershey, Samantha Folts , Briana Olivera And Radio Goulart
Table of Contents
Geography - Radio Goulart
Religion - Brianna Oliveira
Achievements - Matheus Rodrigues
Politics - Samantha Folts
Social Structure - Jasmyn Hershey
The Northwest Coastal Geography
The places these indians lived are in the pink part.
There are 8 tribes throughout the whole map.
Northwest Coastal Climate
The Northwest Coastal climate has all four seasons, has lots and lots
of rain and little snow. The northwest coast is also a temperate
climate. Since they had a Temperate climate it affected them with lots
of rain and it was also warm during the summer and cool in the winter.
Natural Resources
Some n atural resources are...
The Northwest coastal The northwest coastal
indians really r elied on c edar The water source for this tribe indians did not farm so they
trees because the cedar is is the Pacific ocean, the relied on eating fish, at a
what they used to build there pacific ocean was walking certain time every year there
homes, they used it to build distance away. would be salmon everywhere
but they also ate Herring,
homes because it was the
candlefish, flounder, cod,
best wood that was water
halibut, shellfish, and mainly
resistant.
Salmon.
Landforms
Some landforms were…
One Landform is the forest. This Another Landform is the Water. The
tribe used the forest for wood for
their houses. They lived in front of Pacific Ocean is where you would
the forest so that means it was the
fish. You would also have rivers
and some lakes.
best place to get wood.
Northwest Coastal Indians
Religion
Brianna Oliveira
Religion
The Northwest Coastal Indians had a belief system
known as a religion. The Northwest Coastal indians
strictly believed that everything is connected and
everything had a spirit like trees even fog.
Spirits
They believed the tree has a spirit.
Spirits are alive people or plants or animals that died
then came back to life in a new form. Northwest coastal
indians also believed that there are evil spirits and they
would make people sick and a medicine men would try
and cure the the sickness and make the evil spirits go
away.
W hat Were Medicine Men
Navajo medicine man –
Medicine men were Northwest Coastal people that
had a job of curing sickness and made evil spirits go
away because they believed that evil spirits made
people sick. Most medicine men were women. The
women would mash up leaves to make medicine. Some
medicine men would predict the future and talk to
spirits. These medicine men are called a shaman.
What Is a Spirit Quest
young boy waiting for a spirit
A spirit quest is when a twelve year old or a little
older boy goes on a quest to find his spirit helper to find
his special talent. While the boy is looking for his spirit
helper he rubs himself with sticks until he bleeds. He also
had to bath in ice cold water. Sometimes the spirit will
come to him in a dream or the spirit could come dancing
by the fire as a shadow. And sometimes the spirit does
not come at all. Then what does he do? He has to go
home and try and find a spirit helper another time. If he
tries several with hope he is a failure to his family.
How Did They Think The World Began
The northwest coastal indians thought that the
world began dark and no sun moon, or stars and
monsters roamed the land, and there was a raven spirit
that was very sneaky. Once he heard that the first people
had light hidden in their caves, he stole it from them and
let it out and made it so that it was bright. Then he killed
all the monsters and made the animals, trees, m ountains
sea and sky. There are many more interesting stories this
is just one.
Sacred Dances and Celebrations
The N.W. coastal have a couple special dances. One dance
is the dance of the bear. The dance of the bear is showing
that the c hief has a lot of bravery. It shows bravery
because the bear is threatening the c hief but the chief
does not get scared. Bravery is very important to the N.W
coastal indians.
Why Did They Want The Spirit Helpers
H elp
They wanted the spirit helpers help because they
thought that the spirit helpers had a lot of power. The
Northwest Coastal indians needed that a little power or
some help from them.
Northwest C oastal I ndians
Achievements
Matheus Rodrigues
Introduction
There are a lot of cool things about the Northwest Coastal
Indians. Their achievements (or what they made) show that
they were creative, smart, and on the move.
Let’s explore their culture through their food, clothing,
shelters and totem poles.
salmon clothes
totem poles
house
Fishing Tools
This tool is called a net. This tool is a harpoon This tool is a trap the
They used Indians used to get
nets to get salmon.They that they usually use to eulachon because they
loved use
salmon so they eat more get whales. this fish to make
fish. candles. They
call the fish candlefish.
Shelters
The NorthWest Coastal Indians lived in wooden houses that
were fifteen to twenty feet tall.
They built their houses along the beaches with their
totem poles in front as doors.
The whole family which were uncles, aunts, grandparents and
children lived in a home. The most important families slept
closest to the chief and also the slaves slept the farthest from
the chief and if you were related to the chief you would sleep in
the same room as the chief.
How Would you light your House?
You would light your house with fish - a lot of fish. The
NorthWest Coastal used this fish eulachon. It works like this.
First,they catch the fish. Then they put it on a thin stick. Lastly,
they light the fish because there is oil inside the fish.
This is a eulachon!
What would you wear
The weather was mild so they would wear b reechcloths o r
nothing at all. Children wore the same as the adult did and
women wore skirts made from cedar bark. You would wear
basket hats because of the sun.
How would you Keep food from spoiling
The Northwest Coastal Indians had no refrigeration so they had
to find a way to preserve their fish so they created a cooking
box inside the cooking box were hot rocks and they were used
to smoke the fish and they would preserve food by hanging fish
up on a line and you would preserve clams by making a
necklace out of
the clams and eating the clams off the necklace.
POLITICS O F T HE NORTHWEST COASTAL
TRIBE
By Samantha C. Folts
____________________________
The Northwest
Coastal tribe had
many political
topics for example
slavery, chiefs,
explorers and
settlers. These are
the topics that I am
going to talk about.
The village of the Northwest
coastal indians (shown on left)
SLAVERY
Did slaves fight in war?
Yes, Slaves did fight in wars. They paddled their owner’s war
canoes. They fought as warriors and were treated as servants.
They were caught in slave raids a nd in wars. If you were a slave
you did ALL the hard work.
Did slaves ever see their families again?
For one second pretend that you were a slave from the N.W.
Coastal tribe. Think to yourself, “Is my family rich?” This is a
question that is v ital if you are a slave. When you are a slave it
is almost a guarantee that unless your family had enough
money for the ransom to buy you back that you would never see
your family again. Once bought back you will have a shamed
your family and they now needed they needed to host a giant
potlatch to erase the embarrassment.
Who were slaves?
Slaves were mostly women and children. The women and
children were usually ones that were old enough to work. When
these slaves were captured they got enslaved like many others.
During slave raids and wars many slaves got captured and now
have a good chance of being a slave for the rest of their lives.
EUROPEAN
EXPLORERS
What happened when the european explorers came to the N.W.
coastal tribes?
When the explorers came the N.W. Coastals were hunting,
killing and selling sea otters for their soft furs. The furs of the
otters were the softest thing the explorers had ever
encountered. The sea otters were becoming endangered.
Everyone was rich now and potlatches became more often but
now instead of saving your whole life for an amazing party a
person would destroy their own belongings to show that they
had so much money it didn’t matter.
Two sea otters floating in the water(left)
SETTLERS
What happened when the settlers came?
When the settlers came they brought diseases and problems.
They took over the indians land and put up factories like
canned fish and logging factories. They took owned fishing
spots and banned potlatches from the indians. Many old
traditions were forgotten and their masterful w oodcarving was
dieing out. But the worst of it all… diseases.
What happened when all the diseases hit?
When the settlers came the diseases wiped out almost all of
the indians. There was only about one out of every five that
survived. Without the elders the children had no one to teach
them and to tell stories about their history and about the world
before the settlers.
CHIEFS
What did chiefs do?
Chiefs lead the entire tribe. They make decisions. Think about
who leads your family, or school. They make all the big
decisions, right? They’re like chiefs. They make decisions like
what the rules are and the punishments for these rules if
broken. They are leaders.
What was life like if you were the son or daughter of the chief?
If the chief was your father you would wear a blanket and
jewelry like your father. You would ride in the of chief’s canoe
with him. You might have a headdress or jewelry made from sea
lion whiskers.
A sea lion picture (right)
How did a future chief become the new chief?
When a chief was chosen he would have a p otlatch to make him
being the new chief “legal”. Even if all the people in the tribe
didn't come they all had to have him as their new leader.
A chief of the northwest coast (left)
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE
INDIANS OF THE
NORTHWEST COAST
Shamans were medicine men but they also helped win
wars!
A punishment for fishing in someone else's fishing
grounds was having to pay a fee!
When the settlers came they wanted indian land!
The european explorers wanted otter furs but the indians
were good traders and got a great price for them!
The indians had to pay ransoms to get slaves back!
Chiefs lead the tribe!
The settlers took over and built factories!
Northwest sea coastal Indians
Social Structure!
Introduction
Welcome
This is a book about the social structure of the
Northwest sea coastal native americans or
as some say the “Pacific Northwest indian tribe”.
This book gives valuable information
and is made by a very smart team;;
Radio Goulart, Matheus rodrigues, Sammie folts,
Brianna olivera, and Jasmyn (Angellina) Hershey.
They have worked really hard on putting this book together and
have gathered very useful information.
Enjoy!
Families
The northwest coastal indians lived in villages and there was
more than one family living in a house. Each house had a house
chief , and his family and other r elatives l ived in the same
house. They might even have slaves living there. They lived in
very tall houses and often had totem poles as doors.
picture of house; totem pole door
Would You Go to School?
no!
Y ou would not go to school
because you would have to learn many things
you would have to learn how to cook,
clean,weave,make a canoe,swim (of course),
and the most important 3 are…
Carve totem poles and masks
learn how to hunt
and make clothes!
But don't think you have no time for fun!
of course you do, you play lots of games!
After chores, and work!
picture of women working with child.
Boys had to Boys also had Boys had to Boys had to Boys do not
make totem to practice mleaarkne h coawn o toe s. fight with
poles. hunting skills. learn brother or
sisters.
manners
Girls wove .
baskets.
What Did Boys Have to Learn?
Girl learned Girls dried Girls Girls also
and smoked gathered Wove
how to Row fish. berries and blankets.
a canoe. shellfish.
(swim)
What Did Boys Have to Learn?
. picture of girl and picture of boy.
Totem Poles
Totem poles were built because they represent the history of ancestors or a very great
story. Some go up to 45 feet! The totem poles are carved by men and young boys.
The totem poles are highly decorated with; Carving of animal heads or people heads,
random decorations of a story, and lots of paint. The totem poles can also be doors,
they are very small doors though so don’t bump your head on the way in! Totem
poles are a very important to the northwest coastal indians, so let’s keep them safe
and sound.
totem pole
totem poles
Glossary
by: Jasmyn Angellina Hershey
c anoe-a narrow, keelless boat with pointed ends, propelled by a paddle or paddles.
relative- a person connected by blood or marriage.
climate- the weather conditions prevailing in an area in general or over a long period.
"our cold, wet climate"
Temperature- of, relating to, or denoting a region or climate characterized by mild
temperatures.
Natural Resources-m aterials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and
fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.
Relied- depend on with full trust or confidence.
Cedar- any of a number of conifers that typically yield fragrant, durable timber, in
particular.
Resistant- d enoting starch that is not easily broken down by enzymes within the body
and is therefore minimally absorbed during digestion.
Herring- a silvery fish that is most abundant in coastal waters and is of great
commercial importance as a food fish in many parts of the world.
Eulachon- another term for candlefish.
Breechcloths- another term for loincloth.
Chief- a leader or ruler of a people or clan.
"the chief of the village"
Strictly- used to indicate that one is applying words or rules exactly or rigidly.
Religion- t he belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a
personal God or gods.
Relative- a person connected by blood or marriage.
Canoe- a narrow, keelless boat with pointed ends, propelled by a paddle or paddles.
Ancestors- a person, typically one more remote than a grandparent, from whom one is
descended.
Represent- b e entitled or appointed to act or speak for (someone), especially in an
official capacity.
Raids- a sudden attack on an enemy by troops, aircraft, or other armed forces in
warfare.
Ransom- a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a
prisoner.
Ashamed- e mbarrassed or guilty because of one's actions, characteristics, or
associations.
Enslaved- m ake (someone) a slave
Endangered- (of a species) seriously at risk of extinction.
Encountered- unexpectedly experience or be faced with (something difficult or
hostile.
Punishments- the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense.
Masterful- p owerful and able to control others.
Bibliography
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second picture on paragraph 2 spirits - q uietkinetic.wordpress.com4320 × 4320S earch
medicine men w ww.neilmeyerhoff.com7 00 × 242Search by image
medicine men https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfoot_Confederacy
spirit quest- unkown...
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More information-Hakim, Joy. T he First Americans. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
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Image of house-http://www.historyiscentral.org/HSI/case1A/Image1.jpg
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Information-K amma, Anne, and Pamela Johnson. - -If You Lived with the Indians of the
Northwest Coast. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Print.
2-H akim, Joy. The First Americans. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.
3-Front Page Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwakwaka%27wakw
4 h ttp://mrsbarberchs.wikispaces.com/file/view/potlatches.jpg/88257675/437x308/potlatches.jpg
5
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2DkEpqmCglg/T3j_zYqClPI/AAAAAAAAAjk/YhQpgHWhpg8/s1600/P1090
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why did you highlight this
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second picture on paragraph 2 spirits - quietkinetic.wordpress.com4320 × 4320S earch
m edicine men www.neilmeyerhoff.com7 00 × 242Search by image
medicine men https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackfoot_Confederacy
spirit quest- unkown...
a bout the author!!!!!!!!!
hi my name is Brianna I am eleven.I currently live on a island called
martha's vineyard I have 2 siblings
About the Author
The author of this was Dennis Goulart, He is 10 years old and is in 5th
grade in Edgartown school, His favorite things to do are to go fishing in the
summer and bowling whenever he can, he also likes to play baseball.