Salish People and Language

Adapted from Salishan Languages Map © Deborah Reade. Original map by Deborah Reade for the Stonington Gallery with later modifications based on research by Barbara Brotherton for the Seattle Art Museum.

Northwest Coast Native art is very well known globally, primarily for the monumental totem poles and spectacular masked performances of the First Peoples of the northwestern British Columbia and Alaska. The Native art of the southern Northwest Coast has been largely under represented and misunderstood.

These pages provide an introduction to the art of the First Peoples of western Washington and southwestern British Columbia who speak the Coast Salish languages. Explore the history of art in this region, what makes Coast Salish art distinctive among the many regional Northwest Coast styles, and learn about the vitality of contemporary Coast Salish art.

Learn more at the Burke Museum!