Transcript Plateau - Ocean Moon

Plateau People
Let’s learn about the plateau people of the
Pacific Northwest.
•Food
•Tools
•Transportation
•Clothing
•Shelter
•Customs and Beliefs
Food
Wild plants were a main staple of food for the
Plateau Indians. Camas, the bulb of the wild lily,
was a major source of food. The Plateau Indian
also gathered wild fruits and vegetables.
The Plateau people hunted deer and elk.
They used every part of the animal! In the winter
when it was difficult to hunt so the Plateau
Indians ate dried meat called pemmican. They
also hunted wild birds such as duck and geese.
Indians Tools Transportation
Clothing
Shelter
Customs & Beliefs
Tools
The Plateau tribes that lived on the river
banks used nets to scoop salmon from the
rushing water. When they fished on the
river edge they used a fishing spear called
a leister. This tool was used for hunting
too. Bowls and other dishes were carved
out of wood while baskets were woven out
of the bark. Bones of animals were used
as scraping and cutting tools.
Indians Food Transportation
Clothing
Shelter
Customs & Beliefs
Transportation
The Plateau Indians relied on walking for
transportation. Snowshoes were used in the
snow. Canoes were used along rivers.
Horses were introduced after 1730. There
were many advantages to using the horse.
Horses transported the Indians and their
possessions. They also were used in hunting for
and gathering food. The horse (and dog) would
drag a travois, which was 2 poles with a animal
skin across it. Possessions were carried on the
travois.
Indians
Food
Tools
Clothing
Shelter
Customs and Beliefs
Clothing
Plateau Indians wore clothing made out of
the hides of deer and elk. As well
moccasins and boots were made from the
hides of smaller animals. Their work
clothes were plain while their ceremonial
clothes were decorated with beautiful
shells, fringe, porcupine quills, bird
feathers, and beadwork.
Indians Food
Tools
Transportation
Shelter
Customs & Beliefs
Shelter
Indians spent the winter in villages along the warmer
valleys on the banks of rivers. Some of the villages
consisted of circular, earthen-roofed houses built partly
underground or banked with earth to protect the homes
against the cold.
The more common Plateau winter home was a long
lodge typically covered with mats made from reeds and
bulrushes and large strips of bark.
In the spring a portable shelter of reed mats was
prepared if any protection from the elements was
needed. The tipi became common about the same time
as the introduction of horses in the early 1700’s.
Indians
Food
Tools
Transportation
Clothing
Customs & Beliefs
Customs and Beliefs
Girls were ready for marriage at the age of fourteen or fifteen while
boys were married at sixteen or seventeen. The plateau tribes did not
hold formal marriage ceremonies
At dances and ceremonies the Indians would wear masks and
decorate themselves from head to toe with paint and feathers. Their
masks might represent animals such as bears, lizards, owls, or other
animals of special significance to the tribe.
The shaman, or medicine man, was an important official in the tribe. A
shaman could be either a man or a woman who had special power,
bestowed through dreams or visions.
Most tribes had more than one chief. One chief might assume
leadership of hunting, one might be the war chief, and another might
be responsible for the safety of the camp.
They believed that the earth was controlled by many gods. The
earliest legends or stories passed down from one generation to
another were about how the world was created, the discovery of fire,
the salmon, and those relating to the physical features of the country.
Indians
Food
Tools
Transportation
Clothing
Shelter