California and Northwest Coast Tribes
Many nations and tribal affiliations make up the indigenous groups of California and the Pacific Northwest. While many share some beliefs, traditions and practices, they all have distinctive cultural and political identities.
Some of the major tribes of Northern California included the Yurok, Mojave, Pomo, Paiute, and Modoc. To the north along the Pacific Northwest Coast were the Tlingit and Haida People.
Society and Culture
The Pacific Northwest was densely populated with indigenous people. The land and water provided an abundance of natural resources.
Salmon was an essential part of their diet and also an important spiritual symbol. Solid logs of red cedar were carved into masterfully-designed canoes of many sizes. These were used for fishing, trading, and as war canoes. The Haida made some of the largest at around 60 feet in length.
Cedar was also used to built large longhouses that were occupied by extended families.
The temperate climate of California made it an ideal location for the tribes there. They were primarily hunter-gatherers who harvested nuts, berries, and acorns for their diet. Whale meat was also prized among the Yurok, but they waited for a whale to wash onto the beach instead of hunting them.
People lived in individual homes that were passed down patrilineally. Most societies had no chief, but in each village, a man trained by elders acted as the leader.
Women were often the medicine people and shamans in the village. They would use plants, prayer, and ritual dances to heal people and also performed ceremonies to ensure successful hunting, fishing, and gathering.
Kuksu was a religion practiced by several indigenous groups in Northern California. Practices included elaborate ceremonial dances and rituals to ensure good health, hunts, bountiful harvests, and good weather.
Art and Technology
As mentioned, woodworking was a skill possessed by many tribes of the Pacific Northwest. Outside of their longhouses often stood large totem poles to commemorate ancestors and legends.
These often featured thunderbirds as well as other animals, each with a different meaning. Thunderbirds were a mythical animal that caused thunder with their wings. Eagles represented leadership. Whales to show strength. Wolves were loyalty; bears motherhood or teachers; and beavers represented determination.
The Pomo people of Northern California used the mineral magnesite to create beads that were used as a currency. They are also known for their intricately woven and ornamented baskets.
The Potlatch
Potlatches were gift-giving feasts practiced by indigenous groups across the Pacific Northwest Coast.
They usually involved giving away or destroying valuable items in order to demonstrate a leader's wealth and power. They also were a major part of the government structure and focused on connections between families, clans, and the supernatural world.
A potlatch was held to commemorate births, deaths, adoptions, weddings, and other major events. They involved music, dancing, singing, storytelling, speeches, and games.
Each nation, however, would have their way of practicing the potlatch with diverse activities and meaning.