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The villages of Northwest Coast peoples were built on beaches, often where a river or stream flowed into the ocean. A river gave villagers easy access to the inland. A village consisted of one or more rows of wooden houses facing the ocean.
Here, the people lived in the fall and winter months. In the spring and summer, they moved to temporary dwellings further inland. When they got there, they went hunting. They also gathered berries and roots to be dried and eaten in the winter. They collected enough food in spring and summer to last through the winter. So they spent their winter months creating art, telling stories, and feasting at complex ceremonies.
