Pre-European Pacific Northwest: Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Coast Salish

For millennia before European contact, the Pacific Northwest was home to diverse, complex societies:

• Haida: Haida Gwaii & southern Alaska; master carvers of totem poles and cedar.
• Tlingit: SE Alaska & BC; renowned for ceremonial regalia, clan systems, and potlatches.
• Tsimshian: Nass/Skeena Rivers; rich oral traditions, dance, and crest art.
• Nuu-chah-nulth: Vancouver Island west coast; expert whalers, traders, and artists.
• Coast Salish: Puget Sound & Gulf Islands; intricate basketry, diverse languages, reef-net fishing.

These cultures shared a maritime adaptation, cedar-based technology, and the potlatch system—redistributive feasts reinforcing status and kinship. Their descendants continue vibrant cultural revival today.