Songs and legends, strong oral traditions and myth cycles were very important. Great feasts were held in the winter months, often lasting for weeks. When Europeans first came to these shores, they were amazed, finding everything decorated, even the smallest object carved and beautifully painted. Many of these objects were used as every day tools. Early anthropologists remarked on the artistic wealth of the peoples of the coast.
Some anthropologists trace most aspects of cultural difference to the environment.
Ecological anthropologists see the flamboyant and ubiquitous art as indicators of environmental wealth. For people to have had the time to create great art, they must have been freed from a constant hunt for food. Most societies with great artistic traditions are agricultural. With a stable food resource, a smaller percentage of the total population produces food. When a portion of the population is not involved in providing food, they are able to specialize, and become artists, trades people, shamans, priests and social elites.