A Contrast in Culture in the Pacific Northwest

Along with the beautiful country of the Pacific Northwest, the settlers also found some of the most peaceful Indians on the earth, like the Colville who were typical of the peaceful tribes of this region.
They based their culture on peace and equality, avoiding wars with neighbors and even refusing to retaliate if attacked.  The concept of individual wealth was alien to their culture, jealousy and status-seeking a rarity. Everyone, even the chief was equal, there were no slaves, no rank or social hierarchy.

Colville gathered food as a community, sharing all as one.  The women gathered edible berries and bulbs, along with the moss and bark from trees to make gruel.   The men hunted birds, rabbits, mollusks and then played lacrosse, which was invented by Indians.  (Did you know that one?)

The salmon, of course, was important to their lives,  As soon as the salmon began leaping, the Colville built summer houses along the river bank.  They built "weirs (basket traps) and made their spears to ready for the salmon hunt.  The Salmon Chief determined the time for the Fish Guardian Spirit Ceremony. 

In the fall, the Colville moved to wooded areas to pick the ripe berries and hunt.  Sweat lodges were built to "purify themselves" in honor of their prey.  After the sweat lodge, they hunted bear, wolf, fox and antelope, sometimes driving the deer over cliffs.

In winter months, Colville retired to their permanent villages of 200 people each.  Each family had a longhouse made of grass and bulrush matting.  Cubicles ran down the sides, one for each couple.  Meals were prepared in the central aisle in watertight woven baskets rather than pottery, and cooking was done by dropping hot stones into the baskets.

Colville organized their lives around the villages which each had a chief, subchief and assembly.  The assembly included all men and women in the village and all had a voice.  The chief kept peace, gave wise counsel, and gave out punishment if needed.  In the winter, he would supervise the dances and holy rites along with the shaman or witch doctor.

The Colville religion revolved around guardian spirits, usually in animal form.  Before puberty each boy spent night-long vigils during which his guardian spirit would appear in a vision and become part of him for life, protecting and aiding him.

Next time - Contrasting Cultures - Part 2

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Today in Pioneer History: "On January 12, 1888, a Thursday afternoon,  the so-called “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” kills 235 people, many of whom were children on their way home from school, across the Northwest Plains region of the United States. The storm came with no warning, and some accounts say that the temperature fell nearly 100 degrees in just 24 hours.