- Related Topics:
- Wenatchee
- Coeur d’Alene
- Kalispel
- Sanpoil
- Shuswap
Salish
-
Who are the Salish people?
The Salish are a group of North American Indian tribes who speak related languages. They are located in the upper basins of the Columbia and Fraser rivers and their tributaries in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The Interior Salish are distinct from the Coast Salish tribes of the Northwest Pacific Coast. The Salish tribes included the Coeur d’Alene, Columbia, Cowlitz, Flathead, Kalispel, and others.
Most Salish tribes were divided into autonomous bands of related families, each with its own chief and local territory. In winter, they occupied river villages, and in summer, they traveled, living at campsites, fishing, and gathering plants. Traditional Salish religious beliefs focused on guardian spirits, and the winter guardian spirit dance was their most important community ritual. Early 21st-century population estimates indicated more than 25,000 individuals of Salish descent.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where do the Salish people traditionally live?
The Salish peoples are a linguistic grouping of North American Indian tribes who speak related languages. They are located in the upper basins of the Columbia and Fraser rivers and their tributaries in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The Coast Salish resided on the Northwest Pacific Coast, around the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, southern Vancouver Island, much of the Olympic Peninsula, and most of western Washington state.
The Salish are divided into autonomous, loosely organized bands of related families, each with its own chief and local territory. In winter, a band would occupy a river village; in summer, it would travel, living at campsites, fishing, and gathering wild plant foods.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What languages do the Salish people speak?
The Salish people speak languages belonging to the Salishan linguistic family, a group of about 23 North American Indian languages. These languages are spoken in the Pacific Northwest and areas of Idaho, Montana, and southern British Columbia.
The Salish tribes include the Coeur d’Alene, Columbia, Cowlitz, Flathead, Kalispel, Lake, Lillooet, Nespelem, Okanagon, Sanpoil, Shuswap, Sinkaietk (southern Okanagon), Spokan, Thompson, and Wenatchee peoples, all of whom spoke various Salishan languages. The majority of Plateau groups speak Salishan and Sahaptin languages. Today, Salishan languages are spoken almost exclusively by older adults.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some common traditions or cultural practices of the Salish?
The Salish, also known as Interior Salish, are a linguistic grouping of North American Indian tribes who reside in the upper basins of the Columbia and Fraser rivers and their tributaries, in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
Cultural Practices and Traditions
- Winter Guardian Spirit Dance The winter guardian spirit dance, which involves dances, feasts, and prayers, was the most important community ritual for the Salish.
- Mythology The Salish have a series of stories from the mouth of the Columbia River through southeastern Alaska in a Raven cycle. These stories elucidate the origin of a village, clan or family and are regarded as the property of that group.
- Technology and Visual Arts The Salish are known for woodworking, using wood from the heavily wooded environment to create canoes, containers, and other useful objects. They emphasize symmetry and embellishment through carving and painting.
- Weaving The inner bark of red cedar is woven into mats and baskets.
- Potlatch The Coast Salish participate in ceremonial distribution of gifts in the potlatch, which enables the host to acquire or maintain prestige.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How have the Salish people interacted with their environment?
The Salish people, also known as Interior Salish, are a group of North American Indian tribes who speak related languages. They reside in the upper basins of the Columbia and Fraser rivers and their tributaries, in present-day British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
These tribes live in a semiarid region between the Rocky Mountains and the coastal cordillera, which features sagebrush, grass, scattered pine groves, rivers, and streams with plentiful fish. The Salish have a close relationship with their environment. They rely on the rivers and streams for salmon and other fish, which are a reliable food supply. They travel to campsites in the summer to fish and gather wild plants. The Salish also use the heavily wooded environment for woodworking, making canoes, containers, and other useful objects from trees such as red cedar.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Salish, linguistic grouping of North American Indian tribes speaking related languages and living in the upper basins of the Columbia and Fraser rivers and their tributaries in what are now the province of British Columbia, Can., and the U.S. states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. They are commonly called the Interior Salish to distinguish them from their neighbours, the Coast Salish tribes who resided on the Northwest Pacific Coast. The Salish tribes comprised mainly the Coeur d’Alene, Columbia, Cowlitz, Flathead, Kalispel, Lake, Lillooet, Nespelem, Okanagon, Sanpoil, Shuswap, Sinkaietk (southern Okanagon), Spokan, Thompson, and Wenatchee peoples, all of whom spoke various Salishian languages. Salish was formerly a native name for the Flathead alone; by the mid-20th century, however, it was more often broadly applied to the entire group.
The Salish were Plateau Indians. The Plateau region lies between the Rocky Mountains and the coastal cordillera and is characterized by semiarid region of sagebrush, grass, and scattered pine groves that are interwoven with rivers and streams containing plentiful salmon and other fish. Thus, the Plateau peoples had an unusually reliable food supply for desert dwellers. Most Salish tribes were divided into autonomous, loosely organized bands of related families, each with its own chief and local territory. In winter a band would occupy a river village; in summer it would travel, living at campsites, fishing, and gathering wild plant foods. Tribes toward the centre of the culture area, such as the Sanpoil, avoided complex social and political organization; warfare in that area was almost unknown, and external trade was not an important part of the local economy.
On the fringes of the Plateau culture area, however, conditions were different. The westernmost Salish groups, such as the Lillooet and western Shuswap, traded with the Northwest Coast Indians and adopted some of their customs. The Lillooet, for instance, had a well-organized clan system similar to those used by Coast Salish peoples, and the western Shuswap had both clans and castes of nobles, commoners, and slaves, forms of social organization similar to those found on the coast. The easternmost Salish, such as the Flathead, who were horsemen, bison hunters, and warriors, had a relatively well-developed system of tribal chiefs and councils, much in the manner of the Plains Indians with whom they traded.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
Although a typical Salish group had either dugout or bark canoes, the rivers were so full of rapids that traveling was more often accomplished on foot. The typical dwelling was an earth- or mat-covered lodge, sometimes semisubterranean. As with other customs, however, the Flathead used a Plains architectural form, the tepee, and the Lillooet built coastal-style houses of poles and planks. Most Salish wore clothing made of dressed skins: breechclouts (breechcloths) for men, tunics for women, and leggings and moccasins for all.
Traditional Salish religious beliefs focused chiefly on guardian spirits. In the years just prior to puberty, boys undertook isolated nightly vigils, hoping for visions that would reveal their spirit-guide; some girls did likewise. Shamanism was also important, and shamans and medicine men and women could cure, and in some cases cause, disease or social strife. The winter guardian spirit dance, involving dances, feasts, and prayers in propitiation of guardian spirits, was the most important community ritual for the Salish.
Early 21st-century population estimates indicated more than 25,000 individuals of Salish descent.