Wayne P. Suttles and William C. Sturtevant’s edited collection, Handbook of North American Indians Volume 7, Northwest Coast, serves as an exhaustive encyclopedic summary of the prehistory, languages, and cultures of the region's indigenous peoples. Moving beyond broad overviews, the volume is structured into rigorous ethnographic chapters that document the specific histories and cooperative networks of a vast array of sovereign nations—from the Eyak, Tlingit, and Haida in the north, through the Tsimshian, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Nuu-chah-nulth, down to the Coast Salish, Makah, Chinookans, Tillamook, and Coos along the southern shorelines. By synthesizing regional demography with specialized studies on mythology, material art, and the Indian Shaker Church, the Smithsonian reference work catalogs how these distinct communities utilized sophisticated maritime technologies and complex kinship alliances to actively manage their environments. Through its comprehensive indexing of shared economic institutions like the potlatch and diverse linguistic families, the text reveals how intricate social structures were inextricably tied to the material survival of the coastal peoples. Ultimately, this monumental collection functions as a vital repository of anthropological research, documenting the immense resourcefulness of these specific nations and demonstrating how they built complex, enduring cultures long before Euro-American contact.

Indians of North America, Indians of North America Northwest Coast of North America, Nonfiction, North America Northwest Coast of North America

History of research History of contact The peoples Special topics Contributors