lesson 1 section 4

Northwest Coast Geography and Climate

• Extends from southern Oregon into Canada.
• Winters are cold, summers are cool; no icy conditions along the ocean.
• Thick forests of fir, spruce, and cedar cover rugged mountains.
• Mountains trap Pacific storms, leading to heavy rainfall throughout the year.

Abundant Food Sources

• Food is plentiful, mainly sourced from the sea.
• Villages built along narrow beaches and bays, as well as nearby islands.
• Gathered clams, shellfish, and seaweed from shallow coastal waters.
• Canoeing utilized for hunting seals, sea lions, whales, halibut, and various fish.
• Forests provided a variety of game: deer, moose, bears, elk, beaver, and mountain goats.
• Specialized weapons created for each type of prey, such as wooden harpoons for seals.

Techniques and Tools

• Harpoons featured barbed tips made from bone to secure seals once struck; included long ropes for retrieval.
• In early summer, salmon migrate upstream to spawn; wooden fences built across rivers for easier netting.
• Women dried salmon meat for year-round consumption.

Building and Craftsmanship

• Northwest forests provided materials for house construction and various objects.
• Men utilized stone-headed sledgehammers and wedges to cut boards from logs.
• Large, durable houses were constructed with cedar bark shingles for rain protection.
• Women crafted baskets, mats, ropes, and blankets from inner bark strips, including waterproof capes.

Cultural Arts and Crafts

• Abundant food supply allowed time for the practice of crafts.
• Women created decorative shell buttons, sewing them onto clothing with ivory needles.
• Men fashioned detailed animal masks, bowls, and other items using wooden wedges, bone drills, stone chisels, and knives.