The
indigenous peoples of the
Pacific Northwest Coast were of many nations and tribal affiliations, each with distinctive cultural and political identities, but they shared certain beliefs, traditions and practices, such as the centrality of
salmon as a resource and spiritual symbol. The term
Northwest Coast or
North West Coast is used in anthropology to refer to the groups of Indigenous people residing along the coast of
British Columbia,
Washington State, parts of
Alaska,
Oregon, and
northern California. The term
Pacific Northwest is largely used in the American context.