THE NORTHWEST COAST INDIANS

THE TRIBES OF THE NORTH COAST INDIANS SPOKE ABOUT 35 LANGUAGES AND THEY HAD PLENTY TO EAT AS THEY HAD PLENTY OF FISH FROM THE OCEANS AND THEY HAD PLENTY OF GAME ANIMALS. THEY HONORED THE SPIRIT OF THE SALMON BY PERFORMING A RITUAL OF THANKSGIVING OVER THE FIRST SALMON CAUGHT IN THE SPRING. THIS FISH WAS CONSIDERED TO BE THE LEADER OF THE SALMON MEN. A HOLY MAN WHO KNEW THE PRAYERS RESPECTFULLY CARRIED THE SALMON TO THE ALTAR WHERE HE SPRINKLED IT WITH RED OCHRE OR EAGLE DOWN. AFTER THE FISH HAD BEEN COOKED EVERYONE TASTED OF THIS FIRST HONORED SALMON. ONLY AFTER THE SALMON HAD BEEN TREATED TO A CEREMONY OF REVERENCE COULD THE FISHING BEGIN.

THE NOOTKA OF VANCOUVER ISLAND MADE A CEREMONIAL MASK OF RED CEDAR DEPICTING SEVEN SALMON TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPERHUMAN POWER THAT BROUGHT THE SALMON TO THE NOOTKA. SOME MEN CAUGHT HALIBUT WHICH COULD WEIGH 200 POUNDS OR MORE AS THEY PULLED IT ALONG THE SIDE OF A CANOE AND CLUBBED IT. THEY ALSO CAUGHT AN ARRAY OF FISH INCLUDING SMELT, CANDLEFISH, HERRING, AND EUCLACHON. THEY BUILT WEIRS FOR CATCHING SALMON, AND OTHER FISH. THE WEIR WAS A WOODEN FENCE THAT SPANNED THE RIVER. ONCE THE FISH WERE IN THE WEIR, THEY USED A 16FOOT HARPOON TO SPEAR THE FISH.THEY ALSO MADE NETS TO CATCH THE FISH. THEY MADE CANOES FROM CEDAR AND SAILED THE SEA TO CATCH HALIBUT, COD, SEA OTTERS, SEALS, AND WHALES!

THEY CAUGHT DEER, ELK, MOUNTAIN GOAT, MARTEN, BEAVER AND EDIBLE PLANTS. THEY USED THE CEDAR TREES FOR CANOES, HOUSING, WEAPONS, TOOLS, CONTAINERS AND TOTEM POLES, AS WELL AS MASKS. THEY MADE BASKETS, CLOTHING, AND ROPES FROM THE BARK.

THE NOOTKA OF VANCOUVER ISLAND USED THEIR CANOES ON THE SEA TO HUNT GRAY WHALES, RIGHT WHALES, AND HUMPBACK WHALES. THE WHALER WAS A CHIEF WHO PREPARED HIMSELF SPIRITUALLY FOR MONTHS TO ENSURE SUCCESS.

MANY OF THE HOUSES WERE BUILT PARTIALLY UNDERGROUND. SOME FAMILIES LIVED IN APARTMENTS ARRANGED ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE VILLAGE. SOMETIMES A SINGLE HOUSE CONTAINED A VILLAGE.

THE TOTEM POLES WERE PLACED OUTSIDE OF A HOUSE AS WAY TO HONOR SPECIAL CLANS AND TO FOLLOW WAYS TO HELP SPIRITS RELATED TO THE GUARDIAN SPIRIT OF THE CLAN.THEY INCLUDED ANIMALS, FISH, BIRDS AND HEAVENLY BODIES. TOTEMS WERE MORE THAN EMBLEMS. THEY WERE SPIRITUAL GUIDES.

TLINGIT MOTHERS HONORED THEIR CLAN ANCESTORS SO PROFOUNDLY THAT THEY NAMED THEIR CHILDREN AFTER THEM SO THAT THE SPIRIT OF THE DECEASED WAS REBORN IN THE CHILD THROUGH THE NAME. A PREGNANT WOMAN SPENT TEN DAYS IN A SPECIAL SHELTER AFTER GIVING BIRTH. A 10 YEAR OLD BOY LIVED WITH HIS MOTHER'S BROTHER AND HE TAUGHT HIM DISCIPLINE. HE WAS TAUGHT HOW TO CHOP WOOD AND HIS TRIBAL HISTORY AND HUNTING RITUALS. THE BOY WOULD INHERIT HIS UNCLE'S HOUSE.

GIRLS HAD THEIR OWN LESSONS TO LEARN. THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF A GIRL'S LIFE WAS THE ONSET OF MENSTRUATION. SHE WENT TO A HUT AND FASTED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. SHE LEARNED CLAN TRADITIONS FROM HER FATHER'S SISTER, HER MOM, OR GRANDMOTHER. SHE ALSO MADE BASKETS. WHEN SHE REJOINED THE VILLAGE SHE HAD A BATH FROM HER RELATIVES WITH NEW CLOTHES, AND PIERCED HER LIP. THERE WAS A POTLATCH CEREMONY FROM HER FATHER'S SISTERS. AND SHE WAS PRESENTED AS READY FOR MARRIAGE. THEY HAD TO MARRY A PERSON FROM A DIFFERENT CLAN.

FAMILIES ARRANGED MARRIAGES TO STRENGTHEN CLAN RELATIONSHIPS AND TO BRING GREATER WEALTH TO THEIR FAMILIES. GIFT GIVING AND A SHOW OF WEALTH WAS A BIG PART OF MARRIAGE.

MANY NATIVE SOCIETIES BELIEVED THAT THE DEAD SHOULD NOT LEAVE THROUGH THE SAME DOOR THAT THE LIVING HAD USED. THEY WERE CREMATED. THEY USED THEIR DREAMS AND VISIONS TO PRODUCE ELABORATE CEREMONIAL MASKS FOR TELLING STORIES.

A MASK MAKER TALKED TO THE MASK AS HE MADE IT AND INCLUDED IMAGES THAT WERE POWERFUL BECAUSE OF THE FORCES. THEY REPRESENTED.

THE SHAMAN REPRESENTED AN IMPORTANT PERSON WHO HAD GREAT RESPECT AND COULD CURE, INFLUENCE WEATHER, AND ASSURED THE ABUNDANT SALMON HARVEST. THEY ALSO PREDICTED THE FUTURE AND BROUGHT VICTORY TO WAR. THEY HEALED PEOPLE AND INTERCEDED WITH SPIRITS ON BEHALF OF HIS OR HER PATIENT.

POTLATCH IS A CHINOOK WORD MEANING TO GIVE. IT WAS A MASSIVE FEAST GIVEN BY THE HOUSE OF ONE CLAN TO HONOR ANOTHER CLAN. SHARING FOOD AND GIFT GIVING GAVE EVERYONE TIME TO HAVE A SENSE OF BELONGING.


TRUDY GRIFFIN




























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