estern red cedar, douglas fir, sitka spruce and western
hemlock grow in abundance. As do a number of deciduous
trees including leafed maple, bitter cherry, red alder
and arbutus. The Sliammon people had numerous uses for
all forestry but, above all, the western red cedar tree
was used the most.

n inventory of Sliammon household goods indicates that
Western Red Cedar was the most versatile of all plant
materials. It's strong, easily split, decay-resistant
wood was the most widely used for making house planks,
dug out canoes, kerfed boxes, barbecuing sticks, salmon
spreaders, drying rocks, fish traps and bowls. The inner
bark, stripped off the tree and pounded until soft,
turned into mats, blankets, capes, hats, ropes, napkins,
arm bands, belts and ceremonial costumes. Cedar was also
an excellent source of fuel.

liammon women were well known for the high quality
of their woven baskets, which were frequently adorned with
beautifully imbricated designs. Most women would have
three or four baskets, depending on the type of crop that
they were picking, and the basket was her inseparable
companion on her gathering trips. For carrying clams the
Sliammon people used open work baskets which would drain
the salt water. For roots they might use the same but
usually a basket with a slightly tighter weave was preferred.
Tightly coiled baskets were used for berries, which are heavy
when picked in quantity. Sliammon women made their baskets
during the long winters, but the tedious and time consuming
process of gathering and preparation of materials
had to be done in the summertime, when the spruce, cedar
roots and grasses were at their best. Roots had to be soaked,
peeled and split.  Grasses must be cured and sometimes dyed.

ravel among the the Northwest was essentially by sea
or via the inland waterways. The canoe was one of two ways of
transportation over long distances. Without the construction of
canoes, they would have been isolated in their villages, with no
way to visit, hunt, trade or commute with neighbouring villages;
other than by foot. The Sliammon people crafted sturdy dugout
canoes from the trunks of cedar trees, sometimes fifty feet long
and six to eight feet wide. Dugout canoes were made in various
shapes and sizes according to their purpose. Apart from the
great sea-going canoes, there were inland varieties - shorter
and shallower freight canoes for rivers, small hunting canoes
about ten feet long and a one man canoe used mainly for duck
hunting. In modern times, the slim slick ones were used primarily
for racing. Double-ended canoes were also constructed for the
messengers of the village, for a swifter message delivery.