Discuss the Relationship Between Culture and the Environment on the Pacific Northwest Coast

The Pacific Northwest was home to a group of First Nations which occupied these lands centuries before the Europeans came in the 1800’s. During this time, the Pacific Coast Natives prospered here by creating a way of life which was in harmony with their environment. The four main areas which the First Nation’s people lived in harmony with their unspoiled natural environment included the North Coast, the Central Coast, the Outside Coast, and finally the Inside Coast. Their environment provided these people with all the basic needs including shelter, clothing, and food but the people needed to adapt to the specific environments found across the Pacific Northwest. By adapting to the specific needs within the different environments, a population is able to access and exploit the resources the environment has to offer.

The Pacific Northwest coastline stretches over 1800 kilometers in length and runs along the seaboard from Southwestern Alaska to Northwestern California, making it the longest coastline in the world. This shoreline is divided into 4 main areas: The North coast, the Central coast, the Outside coast, and the Inside south coast. There are two main Northwest Coasts environmental areas. One is the classic Northwest Coast of British Columbia and south-east Alaska, the “archipelago” coast of islands, bays, deep sounds, sheltered coves and broad, hidden passages; an example of this is the island of Haida Gwaii, an island found just off the coast of British Columbia. The other comprises the straight coasts of Washington, Oregon, northern California, and parts of Alaska, which are only times broken by bays and inlets. The main environmental zones that exist on the Northwest Coast include the pelagic zone, neritic zone, outer mountains, coastal lowlands, and the high inner coastal mountains. The outer mountains, coastal lowlands, and the high inner coastal mountains are all terrestrial ecozones. The majority of the terrestrial ecozones are classified as a temperate rainforest; consisting of spruce, hemlock, fir, and lush green cedar. Cedar was the main resource the Northwest Coastal people used which provided tools, housing, clothing, and canoes. Cedar was specifically useful due to its natural water resistant properties. The wood grain of cedar is also uniquely straight, meaning few knots existed making it excellent when splitting the wood into long, even, smooth planks for housing. This meant cedar was easy to carve into whatever they wanted and its natural oil resisted rot. As you proceed more north, the terrestrial ecosystems are less productive due to the harsher environment. The Pelagic and Neritic ecozones are classified as marine; Pelagic found in the open sea where the Neritic zones are found closer to the shore. As you move towards the north, the diet of the pacific northwest people needed to adapt due to the northern terrestrial ecosystem not providing the same production as the south. This forces the Northern Native groups to adapt their diet to marine life, such as salmon and saltwater fish like halibut, rather than plant food common in the south. This coastal environment along this long shoreline is classified as having cool summers, and wet winters. This is due to the coastal mountains acting like a barrier for cool, wet air moving east from the Pacific; this captures the rain along this Northwest Pacific area. The mountains found in this area limit contact to the east, and can only be easily reached along the Taku, Nass, and Skeena River Valleys. (Ames 2003: 19-33; Kew 2010: Web; Alastair 1997: Web)

The North Coast of the Northwest Pacific Coastal area is occupied by three speakers of language isolates; Haida, Tlinglit, and Tsimshian. Even though these languages are very different, encouraging the fact that they have separate origins, they actually share a similar culture. The North Coast People achieved the highest overemphasis of material culture and most refined art style on the Pacific Northwest. The Haida lived on the modern day Queen Charlotte Islands; a cluster of islands, isles, and sheltered waterways, known to the Haida people as Haida Gwaii. The Haida people were ocean oriented due to the land being so rugged. Their large canoes allowed them to fish for salmon, halibut and sea mammals. They would also venture to the mainland to allow for trade or war. The Haida were known as master carvers and canoe builders due to the abundance of red cedar on Haida Gwaii. These canoes by master carvers were keenly demanded in trade, newly carved dugout canoes would be transported to the mainland and the old canoes they traded earlier would return. The Haida would exchange their canoes for eulachon oil. North of Haida Gwaii was home to the Tlingit people. These people occupied the myriad islands on the archipelago of southeastern Alaska. The Tlingit were known to their neighbours as seafaring traders, exchanging copper and mountain goat wool blankets for slaves and shell ornaments. These trade routes would be controlled by groups to the interior, along the valleys of the Stikine, Chilkat, and Taku Rivers. The largest of the three main North Coastal people was the Tsimshian. The Tsimshian lived in the northwestern part of British Columbia along the Skeena and Nass rivers. The territory which they inhabited was rich and varied; with salmon living in a majority of the rivers and the most important eulachon run in the Pacific Northwest along the Nass River. Although the other Northern Groups had excess to coastal resources, the Tsimshian (Kitksan and Nisga’a) were riverine people, and dedicated most of their time hunting land mammals. The trade routes between these Northern Coastal people were important when the need for important resources was needed. The Tsimshian could trade important commodities like eulachon oil and mountain goat wool with their neighbouring northern coast groups or far afield. Due to the Tsimshian people being the largest of the three groups, we will be focusing on the Tsimshian and the immediate neighbouring groups (Nishga and Gitksan) when analyzing how they used their environment to survive throughout the year. (McMillan and Yellowhorn 2004: 210-214).

The Tsimshian name means “People inside the Skeena River” and are found along the Nass and Skeena Rivers. The language of the Tsimshian can be broken down into Nishga (Nisga’a) and Gitksan. The house or “wa:lp” was the basic social unit in society of corporate matrilineal. The “wa:lp” was the functioning unit in the potlatch, and refers to people within the same kinship group. The size of houses would frequently fluctuate franticly; getting so low to reduce productivity and to prevent extinction would result to adoption from other clans; and getting so large that the house would split into two. The houses would have rights to lands which would be used for fishing, hunting, and gatherings under the direction of the chief. The house would