| Coast Salish n. The Salish-speaking Native American peoples inhabiting the northwest Pacific coast from the Strait of Georgia to southwest Washington. |
Coast Salish
Salish-speaking North American Indians of the Northwest Coast, living around what are now the Strait of Georgia, Puget Sound, southern Vancouver Island, much of the Olympic Peninsula, and most of western Washington state. One Salishan group, the Tillamook, lived south of the Columbia River in Oregon. The Bella Coola, a group living farther to the north in British Columbia, probably migrated from the main body of Coast Salish. The Coast Salish probably migrated to the coast from the interior, where other Salish-speakers lived. They were culturally similar to the Chinook
Learn more about Coast Salish with a free trial on Britannica.com.