This fully illustrated volume describes the history, culture, language, religion and art of the Indian tribes who have inhabited the northwest coast of the United States since 5000 BC, such as the Tlingit, Tsimshian, Haida, Nootka and Coast Salish tribes. It details the way of life which these native Americans have developed over the course of time, and their reaction to the intense cultural shocks they have suffered since the incursion of settlers. The text is complemented by historical illustrations and photographs of Indian art and regional landscapes. Subjects covered include the transition of the Indian tribe from a strict hierarchical social order to an egalitarian form of communal existence; changes in fishing, logging, hunting and gathering raw materials; traditional and continuing forms of artistic expression and the implications and expressions of cultural identity.