northwest coast indian

English - English

Definition of northwest coast indian in English English dictionary

Any member of the North American Indian peoples inhabiting a narrow but rich belt of coastland and offshore islands from southeast Alaska to northwestern California. A signal feature of Northwest Coast society was the emphasis on each individual's hereditary social rank. A person's position within a local group depended on his genealogical closeness to the legendary group ancestor. For food the peoples of the area depended primarily on five species of salmon; herring; oil-rich "candlefish," or eulachon; smelt; cod; halibut; and mollusks all of which were abundant. Water transport was highly important, and all groups made efficient dugout canoes. Northwest Coast woodworking was facilitated by the natural abundance of easily worked timbers, especially red cedar and redwood. Groups of the Northwest Coast include, from north to south, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, northern Kwakiutl (Heiltsuq), Bella Coola, southern Kwakiutl, Nootka, Coast Salish, Chinook, and a series of lesser divisions

Hyphenation

north·west coast In·di·an

Turkish pronunciation

nôrthwest kōst îndiın

Pronunciation

/ˌnôrᴛʜˈwest ˈkōst ˈəndēən/ /ˌnɔːrθˈwɛst ˈkoʊst ˈɪndiːən/