Who were the first people living in the area explored by Capt. Vancouver? How did they live? What were their beliefs? What kinds of foods did they eat? These are some of the questions which will be explored in this section.
The Puyallup & Nisqually Tribes:
The two main tribes which lived in the area around Commencement Bay
were the Puyallup (pronounced Pew-al-up) and the Nisqually (pronounced Nis-kwal-lee).
They were friendly tribes and shared each other's berry picking and hunting
grounds during the summer and fished together in the Nisqually and Puyallup
Rivers in the winter.
Making Use of Their Resources:
The natural resources of the area (water, soil, forest materials,
minerals, and wildlife) were very important to these people. They depended on
these rescources around them to stay alive. Since they were limited to the local
environment for food, shelter, and clothing material, they had developed ingenious
and clever ways to use the resources to protect themselves from the climate
in which they lived. Nature had provided them with rich and plentiful resources;
food was everywhere - on land and in the water. The climate was mild, but it
rained a lot during the winter as it still does today in the Pacific Northwest.
For more in depth information about the topic listed in the table below, choose a link to click.
All Contents Copyrighted Property of Points Northeast Historical Society © 2002
|Home Page | Mission | Curator's Msg. | Community | B.P. History | D.P. History | Links | Contacts |