The dominating cultural influence of the tribes treated in this volume was their dependence upon sea food.  The waters of the Pacific teem with life in countless forms, and the dwellers upon the wind-swept shores of the ocean and the more placid waters of the sounds, bays, and harbors drew fully upon this supply, from the clam to the whale.  Men, women, and children almost lived in canoes, and possessed most remarkable skill in navigating stormy waters in their frail craft. 

Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian, Text IX, xi, 1913.

Canoes of various sizes and designs are used by all the tribes, from the tiny, blunt-nosed river craft capable of carrying, somewhat precariously, two passengers, to the great seaworthy vessel accommodating twenty to thirty persons besides a considerable cargo of household utensils and food --- a total burden of perhaps five tons.

Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian, Text IX, 59, 1913.

Homeward, 1898

Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian, Portfolio IX, Plate no. 318, 1913.