Religion
The Pacific Northwest Native Americans carved faces into trees. The created totem poles to represent heroes and spiritual figures. They thought everything had a spirit and that spirits were all around them. Spirits helped the people find food, protect themselves, and survive. They helped with work and provided knowledge for the people. Claws and teeth were woven into clothing as decoration and might link to the spirits.
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Housing
Most of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans built longhouses. Longhouses are over 100 ft long and 50 ft wide. the houses lasted for about 20 years. A lot of families could live in these houses. If each house held 100 people, then one person could have 50 feet of space.
Ancestors were important in each family. Each person in the house had a rank, and it was determined by their relationship to the main ancestor. The oldest person was often the most powerful. |