Title: Northwest Coast Indian - Technology and the visual arts | Britannica
Headings: Technology and the visual arts
Technology and the visual arts
Discover wood-carving traditions handed down from past generations of the Northwest Coast Indian peoples
Kinship and family life
Religion and the performing arts

Content: Northwest Coast Indian - Technology and the visual arts | Britannica
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Technology and the visual arts
The indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast drew from the heavily wooded environment for much of their technology. Woodworking was facilitated by the abundance of easily worked species of trees, especially the giant arborvitae ( Thuja plicata, also known as red cedar) and the redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens ). The trunks of these trees could be split into planks or hollowed out into canoes, containers, and other useful objects. Read More on This Topic
Native American: The Northwest Coast
This culture area is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the east by the Coast Range, the Sierra Nevada, and the Rocky Mountains;... Discover wood-carving traditions handed down from past generations of the Northwest Coast Indian peoples
Traditional wood carving of the Northwest Coast Indians. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. See all videos for this article
The peoples of this region were noted for their artistic skill, and many everyday items were decorated in some way. More than most other groups in North America, Northwest Coast visual arts emphasized symmetry, neatness of finish, and embellishment through carving and painting. Traditional carving implements included adzes, mauls, wedges, chisels, drills, and curved knives, all made of stone; sharkskin was used for sanding or polishing wooden items.