ABSTRACT
When European explorers first visited the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America, they encountered one of the richest aboriginal regions of the continent. The peoples of the coast lived in substantial wooden houses and had high population levels. Their stratified and complex society supported an elaborate artistic tradition. Their main source of wealth was the ocean, which produced salmon, halibut, shellfish and other products. They also cultivated root crops and managed berry production. They traded their surplus with each other and with other peoples in the interior. The Hudson’s Bay Company found that they could not penetrate the economies on the coast, which were tightly controlled by the chiefs of the area.
