Makah And Nez Perce Environmental Analysis

How are the Makah and Nez Perce different and similar because of their environment? Imagine you were part of a tribe that was dependent on their environment and was near other tribes that were also dependent on their environment for food, shelter and clothing. The Makah and Nez Perce tribes interacted with their environment differently and similarly to provide food, shelter and clothing for their people.

The similarities and differences of how the Nez Perce and Makah tribes obtained food was dependent on their environment. For instance, according to The Washington Journey the Makah got mostly got their food from the ocean in the text it states “The Pacific Ocean provided for a marine economy. The ocean was full of fish, shellfish,
For example, according to source #3 the Makah had large permanent home evidence to support this is this statement made in the video “ The Coastal tribes (Makah) had large permanent homes constructed of large cedar trees, wood pegs were used as nails. The houses were about fifty to one hundred and fifty feet long and twenty to sixty feet wide. The houses had low ceilings to keep heat in and an incline in the living room with a fire pit inside. Their was a whole in the ceiling and totem poles in front of every house that shows the history of the family living their. Woven mats were used as curtains, towels, separators to separate rooms and mats to sit on.” This evidence shows that the Makah used their resources very well and lived in mainly big wooden houses. However the Nez Perce lived in houses made of tall poles. According to The Washington Journal on page forty it states “ At time the plateau people built more permanent dwellings called pit houses. The house was built partially above ground. The walls were made of tall poles covered with thinner poles, or in other places or later years, with woven mats. The person who wanted to build the house asked all his neighbors to help.” This evidence shows that the Nez Perce tribe used different materials because of their environment. Both the Makah and the Nez Perce had permanent houses and they both had to
As an example the Makah would sometimes go naked in The encyclopedia of Native American Tribes on page one thousand two hundred and eight in the text it states “ Because of mild climate, Makah men and sometimes women went naked or wore very little clothing year round. The clothing they did wear consisted of woven capes, skirts made of cedar bark soaked and pounded softly, cattail fluff, and woven down feathers. Rain gear included cone-shaped hats and bearskin robes.” This evidence shows that that Makah didn't were a lot of clothing while the Nez Perce changed their clothing year round. For instance in The Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes it states “ In early times, shredded cedar bark, deerskin, or rabbit skin were used to make clothing. In summer, men usually wore capes and breechcloths ( parts of material that cover the front and back and are suspended from the waist), adding fur robes and leggings when it turned cold. The woman were known for the large basket hats they wove out out of dried leaves and plant fiber.” The people from Nez Perce wore close all year long unlike the Makah. The Makah and Nez Perce tribes both had more than one style of clothing and wore animal skin and fur.

To sum it up the Makah and Nez Perce tribe had many similarities and differences including food, shelter and clothing. How did your ancestors depend on