Northwest Indians
From Washington Coast to Alaska, the Pacific Coast of the US is inhabited by the Northwest Indians from the Nootka, Coast Salish, Bella-Coola, Haida, Tlingit, Kwakiutl and Tsimshian tribes. These tribes are also known under the name of the people of the totem pole after the largest of the famous wood carvings made by these tribes.
The land inhabited by the Northwest Indians is a world of snow covered mountains, blue ocean waters, rushing rivers, and green forests. It is a long, narrow slice of coast that extends for some hundred miles from east to west and one thousand miles to the north. The mountains and the ocean combine to offer a moderate climate which is cool during the summer and is rather mild during the winter months. These temperature factors are good for the growth of the great redwood, cedar and fir trees.
The cultural specificity of the tribes in fact results from the carving skills they’ve developed in time as a distinguishing trait among the rest of the native Americans. The poles turned into cultural symbol after the contact with the white traders and the import of iron tools necessary for carving. Then, the totem pole in front of a house would show the ancestry and the social rank of the family within the tribe. It can be said that the totem pole was for the Northwest Indians what the coat of arms was for the European aristocratic families.
The Northwest Indians believed in the unseen forces of nature. Northwest Indians thus had rituals for weather and food, as well as thanks giving ceremonies that marked each of their days. For them, everything was imbued with spiritual force, be it animal, tree, rock or man. The Northwest Indians were very close to nature, which they revered as a very spiritual place, and they practiced their religion through the recognition of the forces of nature. The majority of their legends or folk tales tell about the way a superior force comes to live in a member of the tribe.
An important part of the heritage of the Northwest Indians is their carving craft. The houses they inhabited stand witness of their craftsmanship. They Red cedar wood was the primary matter for their homes also known under the name of Big Houses, that measured fifty to a hundred and fifty feet in length, and twenty to sixty feet in width. The richest and most important families had the largest houses that were built with logs and wood pegs, as they did not have nails.
