For generations the Plateau tribes adapted their lifestyle to the landscape, developing complex cultures around the rich natural environment of the region’s salmon-filled rivers . Their land was lush with fertile soil, evergreen forests, and wide varieties of game and vegetation.
What was the plateau environment?
The climate in which the Plateau peoples live is of the continental type. Temperatures range from −30 °F (−34 °C) in winter to 100 °F (38 °C) in summer . Precipitation is generally low and forms a snow cover during the winter, particularly at higher altitudes.
How did the plateau get their food?
The Plateau Indians relied wholly on wild foods. Fishing was the most important food source. The rivers were abundant in salmon, trout, eels, and other fish. The Indians dried fish on wooden racks to preserve them for the winter food supply.
What did the people of the plateau eat?
Food. The people of the Plateau relied primarily on hunting and trapping to acquire goods but also traded their fish, furs, tools and weapons . They hunted large animals using pitfall and deadfall traps, used bows and arrows for smaller prey and caught waterfowl with nets. Food was shared liberally among all villagers.
What was the weather like in the Plateau tribes?
The climate in the area is harsh with winter temperature well below zero and summer temperature rising to as high as 100 degrees . ... During the cold winters most of the tribes lived in permanent settlements, while during the summer months they lived in smaller groups in temporary settlements.
What did Plateau Indians do for fun?
They loved competitions. And they loved to gamble. So it’s no surprise that they loved a game they invented called the Hand Game , which is sometimes called The Stick Game. This game was played by nearly all the tribes that made up the people of the Plateau.
How did the Plateau Indians fish?
Fishing was accomplished with one- or three-pronged fish spears, traps, and nets . Communities also built and held in common large fish weirs—stone or wooden enclosures used to “corral” the catch. Substantial quantities of fish were dried on elevated wooden racks and preserved for winter consumption.
How did the Plateau Indians travel?
The Plateau people traded far more comfortably amongst themselves. Transportation: Travel was accomplished by canoes, snowshoes, boats, and on foot . ... The people did not fish from their canoes. They used canoes for travel.
What did the Plateau Indians trade?
For thousands of years trade between the many Indian nations of the Plateau region had flourished. ... “The Plateau people traded with others from all directions. In exchange for their dried salmon, the people bartered for horses, buffalo products, shells and other goods not easily obtained on the Plateau.”
What tools did Plateau Indians use?
TOOLS AND WEAPONS
The plateau people used sharp rocks on the end of sticks to hunt. They used spears, bows and arrows, harpoons, arrow heads , lassos pits fire and knives. They used dogs to hunt deer. They used antler, soap stone and nephrite.
What did the Plateau tribes use for shelter?
Plateau tribes lived in longhouses made from tule mats . Tule is a tall, tough reed that grows in marshy areas and is sometimes called bulrush. In the winter, they dug a shallow pit and built a roof with poles and covered them with tule mats or tree bark. In later years, canvas was used instead of tule mats.
What are the Plateau natural resources?
Non-metallic Resources
The primary mineral resources found in the Columbia Plateau are glacial deposits of sand, gravel, and stone . These are used as building materials, and are also shipped outside the region for use elsewhere.
Did the plateau people farm?
Agriculture: The people of the Plateau did not farm as we understand farming today . They did not plant and till crops. Instead, they improved the yield of many naturally growing wild plants by pruning and weeding and burning areas as needed to encourage healthy, editable plants that anyone could harvest.
What is plateau in geography?
A plateau is a flat, elevated landform that rises sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side . ... They are one of the four major landforms, along with mountains, plains, and hills. There are two kinds of plateaus: dissected plateaus and volcanic plateaus.
What materials and resources did plateau people use to make tools?
The tools and weapons used by the Plateau people were made from bone (such as arrow heads), wood, nets for fishing, and stone (such as spears and cutting tools) . Their weapons and tools were decorated with carvings, feathers, and beads.
How was the pit house ideal for the Plateau natives?
Partially built into the ground, pit houses provided warmth and shelter during the winter season . While pit houses no longer serve as common dwellings, they retain cultural significance for many Indigenous peoples. ... Pit houses were the winter underground dwellings of the Plateau people.
What did the Plateau Indians live in?
Plateau tribes lived in longhouses made from tule mats . Tule is a tall, tough reed that grows in marshy areas and is sometimes called bulrush. In the winter, they dug a shallow pit and built a roof with poles and covered them with tule mats or tree bark. In later years, canvas was used instead of tule mats.
What are the uses of plateau?
Uses of plateaus are farming and ranching, sightseeing, hunting, fishing, off-highway motorized vehicle use , snow mobiling, mountain biking,logging, recreation, development, roads, mining and energy.
How do plateaus play an important role in developing the industry of a country?
Plateaus are important because of the following reasons: Plateaus are storehouses of minerals . They have rich deposits of minerals. While the African Plateau has huge reserves of gold and silver, Chota Nagpur Plateau in India is famous for coal, iron and manganese deposits.
What are the two most important features of a plateau?
(1) A plateau is a extensive and relatively flat upland area. (2) It has a flat top and steep sides .
