| Family |
- The Plateau people lived and traveled together in family groups.
- The division of labour within a family was split along gender lines.
- The men had certain responsibilities, as did the women.
- Men
- The men were the decision makers in the family.
- They were also responsible for:
- Hunting
- Trapping
- Fishing
- Making Tools
- Warfare
- Women
- The women were responsible for:
- Preparing the food
- Harvesting plants (berries and roots)
- Caring for the children and home
- Making clothing
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Ktunaxa family traveling
Ktunaxa family |
Ktunaxa man |
Mother with baby in 'Papoose' or cradleboard |
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| Social Structure / Leadership |
- Plateau society was communal and generally free of classes (unlike the Northwest Coast people).
- Within each community, sharing of food, and other resources was expected.
- Hunting and fishing grounds generally belonged to the whole village, although there were exceptions to this rule.
- In some groups, families or individuals did own specific fishing and berry areas, and others needed permission to use the resource.
- The people of the Plateau were nomadic, so they moved around throughout the year.
- They generally lived in small seasonal 'bands' or independent villages.
- Each village had one or several leaders or Chiefs.
- There was usually one main village or family Chief who had inherited the role from their father.
- Then there were other chosen Chiefs. They were picked for different roles, such as hunting or warfare, because of their personal abilities and knowledge. For example, they had a Salmon Chief, who was responsible for the fishing in the village.
- Plateau society was relatively democratic, with all the men in a village getting a say in all major decisions. However, Chiefs were given more power when it came to making decisions that would affect the village.
- In some areas they also had a council of Elders who gave advice when it came to important community issues.
- In Ktunaxa society all the decision making power was given to the Elders, because they had more life experience and were considered to be very wise.
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Ktunaxa Elder |
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