Introduction to the Cultures of North American Aboriginal Peoples

1. Introduction to the Cultures ofNorth American Aboriginal Peoples The Northwest Coast

2. Regional Characteristics:The Northwest Coast • Narrow coastal band, including offshore islands, that stretches from southeastern Alaska to southern Oregon/northern California • Interior limit set by Canadian Rockies and Cascade Mountains • Marked by deep valleys running east-to-west creating in effect islands

3. Climate • Mild temperatures and high rainfall • At lower elevations rainfall in excess of 1000 mm p.a. • At higher elevations, snowfall amounts average 4.1 m • At lower elevations average temperatures remain above zero • Latitude/Longitude = 49.1 N; 123.06 W • Avg. Annual Temperature (C) = 9.8 • Annual Temp. Range (C) =16 • Total Annual Precip. (mm) =1048 • Summer Precip. (mm) = 277 • Winter Precip. (mm) = 771

4. Flora • Temperate rainforest • Coniferous trees • Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) • Redwood (Sequoia sempevirins) • Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) • Spruce • Yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) • Not a cedar but members of the False-cypress family • Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) • Hemlock (Tsuga sp.) • A member of the pine family

5. Red Cedar Bark

6. Vegetational Zones of North America

7. Northwest Coast fauna (1) • Herbivores • Moose (Alces alces) los • Elk (wapiti) (Cervus elaphus) jelen • White-tail (Virginia) deer (Odocoileus virginianus) • Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) • Dall (mountain) sheep (Ovis dalli) • Rabbits/hares • Beaver (Castor canidensis) bobr kanadský

9. Northwest Coast Fauna (2) • Carnivores • Bears • Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) • Brown bear (Ursus arctos) • American black bear (Ursus americanus) baribal • Canines • Wolf • Coyote (Canis latrans) • Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) • Felines • Mountain lion (Puma concolor) • Lynx (Lynx canadensis) • Mustelids • Wolverine (Gulo gulo) rosomák • Otter, marten, mink, weasel • Sea otter • Raccoon (Procyon lotor) • Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

12. Northwest Coast Fauna (3) • Whales • Killer whale (Orcinus orca) • Gray whale • Sea otters • Salmon • Chum, pink, coho, chinook, sockeye

13. Diversity and density of resources • Disparity between marine and terrestrial resources • Terrestrial • Low diversity, lower density • Marine • Higher diversity, higher density

14. Key characteristics • Salmon • Food Storage • Woodworking • Sedentary villages • Property ownership and wealth accumulation • Status and rank • Potlatch

15. Division of labor • Women • raising children • tending the fire • Cooking • making clothing and weaving baskets • collected shellfish • dried wild fruits and vegetables as well as plants used for dyes and medicines. • Processing and drying fish for winter meals was a major activity • Women also harvested cedar bark to make mats, hats, capes, skirts, and ornaments. • Men • Fishing • Hunting • Woodworking

16. Diet • Salmon • Range in size from 2.5 to 55 kg • Anadromous • Born in freshwater, migrate to ocean and after 2-5 years return to spawn and die • Individual species return at different times of year (spring, summer and fall) known as runs • Other marine resources • Herring, oulachon, trout, marine mammals, shellfish • Terrestrial resources are much less important • Cervidae, mountain sheep • Critical for other items (hides, fur, bones, antler • Berries

17. Salmon • Salmon were fished using: • Hooks • Baits, lures, sinkers, lines and floats • Harpoons and spears • Dip nets • Fish weirs and traps • Prime fishing spots were highly prized and protected (owned)

19. Food storage • Because of seasonality and regularity of resource, storage is critical • Salmon (and other fish) • Dried • Smoked • Often packed with berries • Salmon runs while regular will sometimes fail meaning that the village must rely on stored food

20. Woodworking • Trees are straight-grained softwoods • Narrow range of groundstone tools • axes, adzes, hammers, wedges • Logs are split into planks

21. Woodworking II • Storage boxes • Bent wood • Masks • Totem poles • Plank houses • Canoes

25. Haida Totem poles - 1903

26. Haida totem pole

28. Long houses • Post and plank construction • Square to rectangular • Max. 30 m long, 8 m wide • Occupied by a matrilineage

29. Canoes • Dugout • Made from a single log • Various sizes according to function • 1-man fishing canoes • Inshore fishing • Trading canoes • Operated on the open ocean • Crews of up to 20, 20 m. long, 5 tons of cargo

32. Miscellaneous items: rattle, bowl, hat

33. Sedentary villages • Large villages had upwards of 200 persons • Seasonal movements to resource procurement sites: • Fishing camps • Berry gathering camps • Each village was politically and economically independent • Some degree of economic interdependency between neighboring villages

35. Property ownership and wealth • Wealth defines status • Ownership generally vested in lineage • Property included: • Land • Fishing spots, berry picking sites, etc, • Manufactured items defined as having value • Coppers • Each copper had a name, history and specific value based on these factors • Chilkat Blankets • Made from mountain sheep wool and cedar bark fibers • Woven on simple loom

38. Status and Rank • Social system • Ranked lineages, clans, etc. • Wealth • Manifesting status and rank • Potlatch • Ceremonies usually held in winter • May last a number of days • Held to mark significant events: • Births, deaths, marriages, accessions to offices • Involved singing, dancing, feasting, display of ritual items such as crests, masks, etc. and gift-giving • These items are usually associated specifically with potlatches • Additionally functioned as a system for the redistribution of goods within a region

39. Potlatch Regalia