Pacific Northwest Coast Culture

Hierarchy avoids disputes by determining who wins in a would be battle and who gets what. A stable hierarchy will match the actual existing bargaining power of the various parties. Cultures can shift from hierarchy to equality, or the other way around over time as circumstances change. For example, archaeological evidence shows that pacific northwest coast hierarche seems to have emerged over a period of centuries after they had begun practising a salmon storing economy. Or the shift can be quick, happening in a generation or less, as we'll see next episode.