Columbia River Tribes: Land, Food, and Homes
A short excerpt from the “For Kids” pages of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. It leaves out the parts about languages, horses, weaving, tools, and life today.
This page is a simplified version of the original text (leveled toward 800L). Photos, maps, and other images are not on this page — use the original link above to see them.
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Columbia River Indians
Indians have lived along the Columbia River for thousands of years. There are hundreds of different groups, now known as “tribes.” Each one is unique in some way, such as in clothing, language, houses, or government. There are many tribes in the Pacific Northwest. Four of them are the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Perce. These are known as “Plateau tribes” because their home is called the Columbia Plateau.
Foods
The Plateau tribes were semi-nomadic. They moved around throughout the year to gather edible vegetables and fruits. Fishing was very important to these tribes. Salmon made up a major part of their food supply. They caught salmon with nets and spears. The Plateau tribes also hunted many kinds of animals. They used the animals for food, clothing, and other items. They hunted with a bow and arrow or with traps.
Houses
The Plateau tribes lived in longhouses made from tule mats. Tule is sometimes called bulrush. In the winter, they dug a shallow pit. They built a roof with poles. They covered the poles with tule mats or tree bark.