Transcript Unit 2: The First People in Washington

Unit 2
The First People in
Washington
WA State History
• Section 1: Origins and Names
• Section 2: Coastal Cultures
• Section 3: Plateau Cultures
Unit 2: The First People in
Washington
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Knowledge
Values
Beliefs
Traditions
What things are part of a
culture?
• Migrated from Asia during the last Ice Age
How do most
anthropologists believe
people first came to North
America?
• Lost tribe of Israel
• People who crossed from Asia, Europe, or Middle East
Mention at least two other
possible origins for the first
Americans.
• Human cultures of the past
• Examine things they have left behind
What does an archaeologist
study?
• 10,000 years
According to archaeologists,
people have been living in
Washington for at least how
long?
• Reminds us that these people were the original people of
America
• Indian technically means “from India”
Why is the term “Native
American” more accurate
than “Indian”?
• Coastal Indians
• Plateau Indians
What two main groupings
are often used to describe
Native American cultures in
Washington?
• Trading
What was the special skill of
the Chinook tribe?
• Met to fish, visit, trade, share food and entertainment
What contact did
Washington tribes have with
the tribes to the north and
east?
• Longhouses that faced the sea
• Moveable walls to separate families
• Wooden platforms built into walls like bunks
What buildings made up a
coastal village?
• Cedar
What tree provided material
for houses, mats, and floor
coverings?
• Number one food supply
• Believed they were immortal and reincarnated
• Held ceremonies to thank salmon for sacrificing
themselves
Describe the importance of
salmon to the Coastal
people.
• Respect and appreciation
• Believed everything had a spirit
What was the Coastal
people’s attitude toward
natural resources?
• Seafood
• Halibut, cod, herring, smelt, clams, oysters
• Seals, otter, whales
• Edible plants
• Roots and berries
• Camas rood
What other food besides
salmon did the Coastal
people eat?
• To collect plants and hunt and fish
Why did they travel each
year to traditional gathering
grounds?
• Canoes
What was the Coastal
people’s main form of
transportation?
• Wealth and status
• Wealth came from possessions and family history
• Lowest rank was slave
How was a person’s rank
determined in tribal villages
of the coast?
• Possessions
• Family histories
• The right to perform songs, dances, or ceremonies
Which things might a
wealthy Coastal person
inherit?
• 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
What were some of the
purposes of the potlatch?
• All living and non-living things
According to the Coastal
people, what things had
spirits?
• Healers
• Spiritual leaders
What was the shaman’s role
in Coastal life?
• Shared culture through spoken legends
• Respected and sacred form of history and entertainment
What were the functions of
oral legends in Coastal life?
• The history of the family who
owned the totem pole
What do the figures on the
northern tribes’ totem poles
represent?
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Woodcarvings
Baskets
Totem poles
Rain hats
Blankets
Name some art objects that
the Coastal people are
famous for.
• East of the Cascades
Where did the Plateau
Indians live?
• Not so richly supplied with food
• Had to travel to get food
How did geography
influence food-gathering on
the Plateau?
• Living and working together
How are hunting and
gathering related to a sense
of loyalty to the tribe?
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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
Name some ways that
horses changed the lives of
the Plateau Indians.
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Pit houses with mat roof
Tepees
Leather clothing
Robes of animal skins
Snowshoes
How did the cold winter
climate influence Plateau
houses and clothing?
• Tribal Council (chiefs and leaders)
• There was no “one voice” for the tribe
How were tribal decisions
made in a Plateau village?
• Skills
• Not heritage, wealth, and status
How were leaders chosen
among Plateau people?
• Spirits in all things
• Spirit quests
• Ceremonies to honor salmon, hunting, and gathering
How were the religious
beliefs of Plateau and
Coastal cultures similar?
• They shared their beliefs and values
• Preserved their culture
How were oral legends
important in Plateau
cultures?