BACKGROUND - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 722

only a few kilometers in an entire generation, and began crossing the 49th parallel about
12,000 years ago. By the time the ice cap had receded from all but the far north and the
highest mountain peaks, two distinct cultures had formed: one along the coast and one in
the interior. Within these two broad groups, many tribes formed, developing distinct cul-
tures and languages.
The Northwest Coast
Around 12,000 years ago, Canada's west coast had become ice-free, and humans had begun
settling along its entire length. Over time they had broken into distinct linguistic groups,
including the Coast Salish, Kwagiulth, Tsimshian, Gitxsan, Nisga'a, Haida, and Tlingit,
but all had two things in common: their reliance on cedar and on salmon. They lived a very
different lifestyle from the stereotypical “Indian”—they had no bison to depend on, they
didn't ride horses, nor did they live in tepees, but instead developed a unique and intriguing
culture that remains in place in small pockets along the west coast. These coastal bands
lived comfortably off the land and the sea, hunting deer, beaver, bear, and sea otters; fish-
ing for salmon, cod, and halibut; and harvesting edible kelp. They built huge 90-meter-long
(295-foot) cedar houses and 20-meter-long (65-foot) dugout cedar canoes, and developed a
distinctive and highly decorative arts style featuring animals, mythical creatures, and oddly
shaped human forms believed to be supernatural ancestors.
West coast First Nations society emphasized the material wealth of each chief and his
tribe, displayed to others during special events called potlatches. The potlatch ceremon-
ies marked important moments in tribal society, such as marriages, puberty celebrations,
deaths, or totem-pole raisings. The wealth of a tribe became obvious when the chief gave
away enormous quantities of gifts to his guests—the nobler the guest, the better the gift. The
potlatch exchange was accompanied by much feasting, speech-making, dancing, and enter-
tainment, all of which could last many days. Stories performed by hosts garbed in elaborate
costumes and masks educated, entertained, and affirmed each clan's historical continuity.
The Interior Salish
Moving north with the receding ice cap around 10,000 years ago, the Salish fanned out
across most of southwestern and interior British Columbia. After spending summers in the
mountains hunting and gathering, they would move to lower elevations to harvest their most
precious natural resource: salmon. At narrow canyons along the Fraser River and its tribu-
taries, the Salish put their fishing skills to the test, netting, trapping, and spearing salmon as
the fish traveled upstream to spawn. Much of the catch was preserved by drying or roasting,
then pounded into a powder known as “pemmican” for later use or to be traded. The Sal-