Western cordillera canada
The Western Cordillera region, located west of the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, extends south of the Sub-Arctic tundra and north of the western interior plains. The entire region is primarily Pacific Forest, which consists of alder-hemlock, spruce, pine, and douglas fir. Humid rain forest conditions exist due to an average annual precipitation of over 1,500 millimetres per annum. The varied terrain includes mountains, highlands, alpine tundra, salt marshes, rugged coastline, and rocky inlets. Mountainous ranges are interspersed by rivers, valleys, and plateaus.
The Western Cordillera region, the site of the longest continuous human occupation in what is now Canada, was the most densely populated area. The estimated population at the time of European contact was possibly 200,000 people. The cultural groups that occupied the coast and islands of the Western Cordillera included the Tsimshian, Salish, Kwakwaka'wakw, Haida, Nuu'chah'nulth, Heiltsuk, and Nisga'a.
The Haida: Children of Eagle and Raven
The peoples of the northern coast, such as the Tahltan, occupied homes that were double lean-tos made of poles covered with spruce bark. Villages were occupied year-round except for the seasonal salmon harvest. A move to a seasonal camp involved detaching the planks of the houses but leaving the foundation poles. The planks were transported from camp to camp. Village sites contain evidence of occupation for over 4,000 years. The Western Cordillian groups lived in villages that were often located on the shores of bays and inlets where they were sheltered from the coastal storms. Consisting of between ten and thirty lodges, each village had a population that numbered between 200 and 700 people. Extended families lived together in red cedar dwellings. These great houses had several occupation levels, which created tiers around a central, communal pit. The exterior of these dwellings were painted and decorated with the family totems and with symbols of the family's spiritual ancestors.
The peoples of the Western Cordillera region are associated with a complex sedentary lifeway. Proximity to the ocean provided a year-round abundance of food sources, which eliminated the need for a nomadic existence. This enabled the inhabitants to build large, stable dwellings and to develop stratified social systems. Ocean and river fishing, along with gathering practices, provided the primary food sources. Food sources from the ocean were shellfish, salmon, salmon roe, halibut, herring, sea bird eggs, seaweed, and marine mammals. The Haida occupied the island of Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) and hunted for sea otters, sea lions, and seals. The Nuu'chah'nulth of Vancouver Island, armed with bone harpoons, hunted whales from cedar canoes. The whale carcass was split amongst the clan according to social ranking. Salmon was speared, netted, and trapped in fish weirs from territorial river fishing sites. The Skeena (river of mists) fishing site was used for this annual fish harvest for over 5,000 years. Women working in groups filleted the salmon, smoked or dried it. Salmon oil and fish eggs went into stews or dried cakes. A few weeks of effort allowed for a catch of fish large enough to be consumed and traded for a year. The main trade commodity was the rich oil from the eulachon fish. Oils from salmon and the eulachon fish also provided a vital winter fat supplement. Secondary food sources were land mammals and vegetation. Northern Interior bands, such as the Gitksan, were forest dwellers and hunted bear, mountain goat, and groundhogs. The Wet'suwet'en and Babine hunted beaver, bear, and mountain goat in the inland forested regions.
Meal preparation was enhanced by regional technological adaptation. Fish and game were cooked in pit ovens or over stone hearths. An example of a regional preserved food is huckleberry cakes, which were made by collecting and crushing berries in a cedar box. The crushed berries were then boiled over hot stones. Once the berries became a paste they were spread on skunk cabbage leaves and dried on a rack over a fire. After the berries were partially dried, the paste was rolled into tubes and then hung to dry completely. The final stage of preserving the berries was flattening and chopping them for storage in cedar boxes.
The peoples of the Western Cordillera region developed river fishing technology. This consisted of open work fences or fishing weirs. Fish were diverted into a confined area, which facilitated trolling with hook and line or spear fishing. Technology for ocean fishing included boats and weapons that were strong and durable to withstand the challenge of the ocean and sea mammals. Harpoons were made of yew wood and were approximately four metres long with barbed hooks of bone or horn. It had a detachable head, which was constructed from a sharp piece of mussel shell cemented with spruce gum between two elk antler barbs. A braided line of whale sinew attached to the harpoon head was in turn connected to long coils of rope made of twisted spruce root. Strung along this rope at regular intervals were four inflated sealskins, to prevent the whale from diving. The whale hunt was a vital part of food gathering. Whales provided meat, but more importantly blubber, which was melted into fat and vital oils. Prized for its durability and strength, whalebone was carved into tools and ornaments.
The diverse use of cedar wood is an another example of regional technological adaptation. The humid rain forest climate along the Western Cordillia encouraged the growth of giant cedar trees. Cedar wood was utilised in the manufacture of several items because of its supple malleability and water-resistant elasticity. Cedar canoes were built from a single log dug out with hand tools. Fire was used to assist hallowing and steam was used to soften the wood. Dugout canoes of cedar and fir were carved from ten to twenty-three metres in length and were equipped to hold a crew of up to fifty paddlers. These canoes were ocean worthy and employed in whaling and sea travel. Smaller shallow draft river cedar canoes were built for river travel and fishing.