People of the PNW before 1800 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

People of the PNW before 1800 - Assignment Example Robert Gray was the captain of the ship which was commenced in 1788 (Robbins, 2002). The native communities who lived along river Columbia ranged widely in language, cultural organizations, living conditions and economic relations. There were two communities who lived in the upper river. They included The Dallas and chinookan. The Dallas communicated with Sahaptin languages, while chikookan languages reigned downriver (Robbins, 2002). Coastal people tended to live in fixed village sites due to lack of food sources. During the winter, fish and shellfish were easily harvested from estuaries and streams due to the relative mildness. In the western region, people gathered roots, seeds, nuts and berries that were harvested easily from the oak savannas and foothills (Robbins, 2002). They greatly involved themselves in trade. They not only traded with the nearby villages but also occasionally traded with the voyages in seagoing canoes from the north. The Tillamook people, occupants of the northern coast, were familiar with the trails that passed through the headlands. They also related well with the people from the North and the South. Europeans from Span, France, Russia and Britain showed interest in the last quarter of eighteenth century (Robbins, 2002). Voyages that involved Cook and Vancouver and their counterparts were made to the coast of Oregon to gather information for British, American and European communities. In addition, their exploration gave information to the world about the Native people, potential commercial resources and important information about trade (Robbins, 2002). In the following years, there was the development of fur trade that attracted a group of people known as the Mountain Men. They worked with the local Natives to supply beaver and other forms of fur to the Hudson’s Bay Company and many other companies (Tate, 2005). Some of the people used the black slave trade labor in their work. Also