Unit 2The First People in WashingtonWA State History

Unit 2: The First People in Washington

• Section 1: Origins and Names• Section 2: Coastal Cultures• Section 3: Plateau Cultures

What things are part of a culture?

• Knowledge• Values• Beliefs• Traditions

How do most anthropologists believe people first came to North America?

• Migrated from Asia during the last Ice Age

Mention at least two other possible origins for the first Americans.

• Lost tribe of Israel• People who crossed from Asia, Europe, or Middle East

What does an archaeologist study?

• Human cultures of the past• Examine things they have left behind

According to archaeologists, people have been living in Washington for at least how long?

• 10,000 years

Why is the term “Native American” more accurate than “Indian”?

• Reminds us that these people were the original people of America

• Indian technically means “from India”

What two main groupings are often used to describe Native American cultures in Washington?

• Coastal Indians• Plateau Indians

What was the special skill of the Chinook tribe?

• Trading

What contact did Washington tribes have with the tribes to the north and east?

• Met to fish, visit, trade, share food and entertainment

What buildings made up a coastal village?

• Longhouses that faced the sea• Moveable walls to separate families• Wooden platforms built into walls like bunks

What tree provided material for houses, mats, and floor coverings?

• Cedar

Describe the importance of salmon to the Coastal people.

• Number one food supply• Believed they were immortal and reincarnated• Held ceremonies to thank salmon for sacrificing

themselves

What was the Coastal people’s attitude toward natural resources?

• Respect and appreciation• Believed everything had a spirit

What other food besides salmon did the Coastal people eat?

• Seafood • Halibut, cod, herring, smelt, clams, oysters• Seals, otter, whales

• Edible plants• Roots and berries• Camas rood

Why did they travel each year to traditional gathering grounds?

• To collect plants and hunt and fish

What was the Coastal people’s main form of transportation?

• Canoes

How was a person’s rank determined in tribal villages of the coast?

• Wealth and status• Wealth came from possessions and family history• Lowest rank was slave

Which things might a wealthy Coastal person inherit?

• Possessions• Family histories• The right to perform songs, dances, or ceremonies

What were some of the purposes of the potlatch?

• Given on special occasions• Marriage• Receiving inheritance

• Given to confirm certain events• Giving names to children• Increasing one’s status• Announcing one’s social standing

According to the Coastal people, what things had spirits?

• All living and non-living things

What was the shaman’s role in Coastal life?

• Healers• Spiritual leaders

What were the functions of oral legends in Coastal life?

• Shared culture through spoken legends• Respected and sacred form of history and entertainment

What do the figures on the northern tribes’ totem poles represent?

• The history of the family who owned the totem pole

Name some art objects that the Coastal people are famous for.

• Woodcarvings• Baskets• Totem poles• Rain hats• Blankets

Where did the Plateau Indians live?

• East of the Cascades

How did geography influence food-gathering on the Plateau?

• Not so richly supplied with food• Had to travel to get food

How are hunting and gathering related to a sense of loyalty to the tribe?

• Living and working together

Name some ways that horses changed the lives of the Plateau Indians.

• They could travel faster and over greater distances• They could visit and communicate more often• There was greater unity• They could carry heavy loads• Hunting was easier and faster

How did the cold winter climate influence Plateau houses and clothing?

• Pit houses with mat roof• Tepees• Leather clothing• Robes of animal skins• Snowshoes

How were tribal decisions made in a Plateau village?

• Tribal Council (chiefs and leaders)• There was no “one voice” for the tribe

How were leaders chosen among Plateau people?

• Skills• Not heritage, wealth, and status

How were the religious beliefs of Plateau and Coastal cultures similar?

• Spirits in all things• Spirit quests• Ceremonies to honor salmon, hunting, and gathering

How were oral legends important in Plateau cultures?

• They shared their beliefs and values• Preserved their culture