Northwest Coast Indian: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Pacific Northwest Indian

Did You Know?

Blue dye was only obtained through trade as there was no way to make it with material found naturally in the area.
The tale of a Raven who was said to have stolen light and given it to humans appears in local art.
Whistles, rattles, and drums were important elements of religious song and dance.

Photos and Videos

Map showing the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples along the Northwest Coast of North America, from southern Alaska through western Canada and down the Pacific coast of the United States to northern California. Tribal names such as Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Kwakiutl, Nuu-chah-nulth, Chinook, and Hupa are labeled along the coastline.

Yurok man with a canoe

Kwakiutl: canoes

Tlingit totem pole

Haida headdress

Several brightly painted totem poles from various British Columbia First Nations stand on grassy ground surrounded by dense green trees at Brockton Point in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

Karok twined basket

Northwest Coast Indian woman

Map of northern North America showing the distribution of Indigenous peoples in the subarctic region, with labeled areas for groups such as Deg Xinag, Gwich'in, Tanaina, Slave, Dogrib, Chipewyan, Cree, Ojibwa, Innu, and others. Solid and dashed lines indicate cultural and drainage divisions across Alaska, Canada, and parts of the northern United States.

Discover wood-carving traditions handed down from past generations of the Northwest Coast Indian peoples

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

Makah Chilkat Yurok Tsimshian Haida Chinook Tlingit Hupa Bella Coola Nuu-chah-nulth Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains Indigenous peoples of the American Southeast Indigenous peoples of the American Southwest Northeast Indian Plateau Indian American Subarctic peoples Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin Indigenous peoples of California Inuit Aleut

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

default image

Seattle

American Indian chief

default image

Horatio Hale

American anthropologist

default image

John Reed Swanton

American anthropologist