Foods of Northwest Tribes

Those living along the Northwest coast such as the Bella Bella, Bella Coola, Chinook, Coosans, Haida, Kwakiutls, Makah, Nootkans, Quileutes, Salish, Tillamook, Tlingit, and Upper Umpqua were supported by a vast amount of foods from the ocean and the lush land. Salmon was a major source of food, along with other fish such as trout, halibut and herring, followed by acorns, hundreds of different plants, marine mammals (whales, otters, seals), bears, beavers, lynx, deer, and small game like rabbits and hares.

Taken from Devon A. Mihesuah, Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens: Indigenous Recipes and Guide to Diet and Fitness (University of Nebraska Press, 2005)