Walla Walla Tribe By: Alyssa Weaver
What do they eat?
They eat salmon, steel head trout, berries, seeds, nuts, elk, deer, bear, mountain goat, groundhog, fox, raccoon, and beaver. The men go out to hunt the animals and the boys hunt the small game.
What clothes do they wear?
The woman wore long dresses that covered from the neck to the ankle, high knee length moccasins during the winter. Their clothes were decorated with beads that were made out of shells, bones, claws, talons, horns, nuts, and quills. Men wore breeches, leggings, vests, shirts, moccasins, and robes. Their clothes were made out of buffalo hides, bark, and deerskin. Men's hair was kept long and decorated with beads and plaits for special ceremonies, also they wore headdresses made of feathers.
What were their homes made of?
They needed shelters that were easily erected and dismantled. They had 3 shelters depending on the season they were tule mat lodge, tepee, semi-subterranean pit house. Most shelters were 80 feet long. The Pit House was the winter house. It was built with logs and sealed with earth and grasses for installation. They were built below ground with an entrance and ladder at the top. The summer shelters were built above ground, the tepee, and the tule mat lodge. Tepees were covered with animal skins. The Tule mat lodges were covered with strong durable tule reeds.
What were the Customs they followed?
They believed in Animism. Animism is a religious idea that the universe and all natural objects, animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains, etc. have souls or spirits. They believe not only humans have souls. "Animism" comes from the Latin word "Anima" meaning breath or soul. The belief of Animism is one of the oldest beliefs of man dating back to the stone age. They had many ceremonies and danced to ceremonial music and drumming.
What were men and women's jobs?
Men's jobs were setting up the house and dismantling the house when a new season came. Also they made mud baths and sweat houses for the tribe, they gathered food for the tribe, and raised horses. The women of the tribe gathered plants, traded, made dip nets for fishing, took care of the house, and caught fish mostly salmon. If you were a girl you would get taught by an elder woman about how to take care of the house, cook, and many other things. If you were a boy you would go with your dad to hunt small game like foxes, beaver, and hares.
Resources
The Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, By: Carl Waldman
www.warpaths2peacepipes.com Author: Linda Alchin
www.legendsofamerica.com Author: Kathy Weiser
Created with images by JD Fahey - "Bear"