Plateau First Nations
Encyclopedia
There were six main tribes occupying the Interior Plateau
. There was the Interior Salish which was the largest tribe, the Lillooet
tribe which lived in the Lillooet River
Valley, the Thompson First Nations which lived at the Fraser River Valley from Yale to Lillooet, The Shuswap which was the largest group in the Plateau which occupied the Fraser River
Valley from Lillooet to Alexandria and the east part of the rocky mountain, the Okanagan occupied the Okanagan River Valley (the Lake First Nation also lived here), and finally, there was the Kootenay tribe, who settled in the southeastern parts of British Columbia
after the Blackfoot
took over in the 1750s.
The Plateau First Nations live in a climate that changes a lot and can sometimes be a hard place to live in. The western area of the Rocky Mountains
had many different regions. The south part was a semi-desert, and the north was mostly all forest with wildlife. Between the north and the south, there was an area of rushing water and waterfalls.
The First Nations of the Plateau were influenced by the First Nations
of the Pacific Coast. The Plateau First Nations traded many goods with the Pacific Coast First Nations. The Pacific tribes believed in clan ancestors which were adopted by the Interior Salish
groups, but they did not adopt the social system.
migration was an important time. In the summer, the fish would swim up to the Pacific Rivers. The Plateau fishermen learned many ways to trap salmon. Stakes were lined up to make a wall, stopping the salmon from swimming any further, and then the fish were pulled out of the water with a scoop. Most salmon was smoked on a fire, and some of it was stored underground in pits. Other salmon was boiled in hot water to get oil.
The Plateau First Nations hunted with weapons like. They used nets to capture some birds. They used deadfall traps to capture larger animals such as deer. They dug deep pits in the middle of a path that deer might be running on. They would stuff the pits with branches and leaves. Once the deer walked on the bunch of branches and leaves, it would fall into the pit and it would trap the deer underground.
The Plateau First Nations also needed to eat wild vegetables. Camas
was a lily bulb
which was important but dangerous. The Camas with the blue flowers was OK to eat, as the Camas with the white flowers was poisonous. For safety reasons, the Plateau First Nations only gathered these bulbs while they were growing. They dug these bulbs with deer antlers. The women in the tribe were responsible for cooking these roots. To cook these roots, a pit that was not too deep was dug. The pit was then filled up with hot stones. When the ground around the stones was hot enough, the stones were removed and a bunch of bulbs were placed in the hole, and the bulbs cooked overnight.
The First Nations of the Plateau made their berry cakes using Saskatoon berries
. The berries were dried on racks covered with leaves.
Other tribes made their homes out of pieces of cedar or spruce bark. The cedar homes had roofs that were slanted right down to the ground. While the spruce bark houses looked like two tents facing each other.
fur.
HELLO !!!
ed hoping to get a spiritual vision. There were festivals in the winter where storytelling and dancing were important.
Interior Plateau
The Interior Plateau comprises a large region of central British Columbia, and lies between the Cariboo and Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Hazelton Mountains, Coast Mountains and Cascade Range on the west. The continuation of the plateau into the United States is known there as the...
. There was the Interior Salish which was the largest tribe, the Lillooet
Lillooet
Lillooet may refer to:*Lillooet, a town in the Fraser Canyon in British Columbia.*the St'at'imc people, also known as the Lillooet people*The Lillooet language, also known under the names of its dialects St'at'imcets and Ucwalmícwts...
tribe which lived in the Lillooet River
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
Valley, the Thompson First Nations which lived at the Fraser River Valley from Yale to Lillooet, The Shuswap which was the largest group in the Plateau which occupied the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
Valley from Lillooet to Alexandria and the east part of the rocky mountain, the Okanagan occupied the Okanagan River Valley (the Lake First Nation also lived here), and finally, there was the Kootenay tribe, who settled in the southeastern parts of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
after the Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
took over in the 1750s.
The Plateau First Nations live in a climate that changes a lot and can sometimes be a hard place to live in. The western area of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
had many different regions. The south part was a semi-desert, and the north was mostly all forest with wildlife. Between the north and the south, there was an area of rushing water and waterfalls.
The First Nations of the Plateau were influenced by the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
of the Pacific Coast. The Plateau First Nations traded many goods with the Pacific Coast First Nations. The Pacific tribes believed in clan ancestors which were adopted by the Interior Salish
Interior Salish
The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main subgroups of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further subdivided into Northern and Southern Interior Salish...
groups, but they did not adopt the social system.
Food
To the Plateau First Nations, salmonSalmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
migration was an important time. In the summer, the fish would swim up to the Pacific Rivers. The Plateau fishermen learned many ways to trap salmon. Stakes were lined up to make a wall, stopping the salmon from swimming any further, and then the fish were pulled out of the water with a scoop. Most salmon was smoked on a fire, and some of it was stored underground in pits. Other salmon was boiled in hot water to get oil.
The Plateau First Nations hunted with weapons like. They used nets to capture some birds. They used deadfall traps to capture larger animals such as deer. They dug deep pits in the middle of a path that deer might be running on. They would stuff the pits with branches and leaves. Once the deer walked on the bunch of branches and leaves, it would fall into the pit and it would trap the deer underground.
The Plateau First Nations also needed to eat wild vegetables. Camas
Camassia
Camassia is a genus of six species native to western North America, from southern British Columbia to northern California, and east to Utah, Wyoming and Montana...
was a lily bulb
Bulb
A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...
which was important but dangerous. The Camas with the blue flowers was OK to eat, as the Camas with the white flowers was poisonous. For safety reasons, the Plateau First Nations only gathered these bulbs while they were growing. They dug these bulbs with deer antlers. The women in the tribe were responsible for cooking these roots. To cook these roots, a pit that was not too deep was dug. The pit was then filled up with hot stones. When the ground around the stones was hot enough, the stones were removed and a bunch of bulbs were placed in the hole, and the bulbs cooked overnight.
The First Nations of the Plateau made their berry cakes using Saskatoon berries
Saskatoon berry
Amelanchier alnifolia, the saskatoon, saskatoon berry, serviceberry, sarvisberry or juneberry is a shrub with edible berry-like fruit, native to North America from Alaska across most of western Canada and in the western and north central United States. Historically it was also called "pigeon berry"...
. The berries were dried on racks covered with leaves.
Shelter
The Interior Salish tribe made their winter houses very differently than the other First Nations groups. They dug holes close to the river. The holes were similar to a tipis was then built over that. A log was made into steps and placed at the opening. Dried food was stored outside these winter houses. In the summer, the Salishan tribe lived in rooms covered with mats.Other tribes made their homes out of pieces of cedar or spruce bark. The cedar homes had roofs that were slanted right down to the ground. While the spruce bark houses looked like two tents facing each other.
Clothing
There was many types of clothing for the First Nations of the Plateau. The men wore buckskin shirts, breech cloths, leggings and moccasins, and the women wore longer shirts. Winter clothing was made out of rabbit or groundhogGroundhog
The groundhog , also known as a woodchuck, whistle-pig, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but...
fur.
HELLO !!!
Religion
The Plateau First Nations believed in shamans who were believed to have the power to control the weather and heal the sick. Some tribes looked to this shaman for help. Some tribes even fastFAST
-Primary meanings:Fast may refer to:* Fast as in high speed or velocity, may be used with anything that has a speed.* Fasting, abstaining from foodSlang:* Fast, a slang term for someone who is sexually promiscuous-Sports:...
ed hoping to get a spiritual vision. There were festivals in the winter where storytelling and dancing were important.