Title: Coast Salish | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Headings: Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Peoples and Territories
Traditional Life
Society and Culture
Religion and Spirituality
Language
Contact with Europeans
Treaties
Contemporary Life
Indigenous Perspectives Education Guide
Indigenous Peoples Collection

Content: They functioned to distribute wealth; confer status and rank upon individuals, kin groups and clans; and to establish claims to names, powers and rights to hunting and fishing territories. Like other Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples, the Coast Salish are well known for their art. House posts and design motifs featuring Northwest Coast animals and spiritual beings are prominent in their art works ( See also Northwest Coast Indigenous Art ). Religion and Spirituality
Coast Salish culture and traditional knowledge survive through oral histories. Although Coast Salish legends vary from nation to nation, they often feature many of the same spiritual figures and tell similar creation stories. One example of such a tale is the story of how Old-Man-In-The-Sky created the world, animals and humans. These stories also highlight the importance of certain creatures and elements of nature, such as the salmon and red cedar, which are considered sacred for spiritual reasons and because of the valuable resources they provide for the people. Language
Coast Salish languages are part of the Salishan linguistic family.