I'm not much of an authority on religious "practice" (such as the role of steam houses, vision quests, dance, art, marriage) but I do know a little bit about oral mythos tradition that I can share.

1. Beliefs were character driven, much like how Greek mythology was. You had Coyote, Thunderbird, and Raven, but also a multitude of minor characters as well. They were active in what was the "Myth Age" before modern day humans and before they had been metamorphosed into the trees and mountains and animals that we perceive them as today (although they were active in their new bodies as well, and depending on the tribe and the story, are still active). Between the tribes the stories are often different, but personification was always a hallmark of each of them.

2. Oral story telling were essential to their beliefs. These stories and histories were told from generation to generation. Even after hundreds or thousands of years they were remarkably well preserved, and were almost as reliable as any written source over that same period of time. The "telephone" game we played as a game has, unfortunately, ruined our capability to appreciate oral history as a reliable way to record stories. We simply do not live in a culture that appreciates oral memorization and naturally, are usually quite terrible at it.

There was essentially two different types of stories: one of which was story narrative, which were often much like our Bible, in that there was a lot of genesis and world building (the other being oral interpretation of real world events, which I will get to in a moment). These usually occurred in the Myth Age. The fascinating aspect of these tales was in how personalized they could be for the longhouse or tribe that told them. Despite the tales being unblemished for hundreds of years, the best storytellers could add flair to the story without changing any of the particularities. These tales were so valued that many would argue that these myths could be considered private property of the tribes themselves (think of an oral version of our copyright laws). Telling a story without the permission of the storyteller could be seen as theft, which stands in stark contrast to the proselytizing practices of other religions in the old world.

3. Religion and the importance of place in the natural world. The tribes lived in a beautiful landscape that still defy some of our scientific explanations. Earthquakes are common, volcanic eruptions less common but far more memorable, and towering mountains always loomed on the horizon. Stories about certain landmarks were told within creation stories (i.e. myths) to explain how they got there. For instance:

In the Lummi mythos, Mt. Baker (Koma Kulshan) was a man with two wives, one of them being Mt. Rainier (Tahoma). One day, Tahoma got mad at Kulshan and ran off, but over each hillside she looked back, in order to see whether her husband was still in sight. After several days, Tahoma looked back, and could no longer see her husband, and in grief, became the mountain that we see today. This would be considered a creation myth and is typical of many of the tales that you would hear.

Among the Klickitats it was told that Rainier, Hood, and St. Helens were all brothers, who warred against each other so fiercely that they lopped each other's heads off. Depending on who you ask, this might be interpreted as a retelling of the volcanic eruption of the mountains over time that eventually developed its own oral tale.

I'll have more sources once I get home, but these are what I could use that are freely available on the Google Books platform -

Salish Myths and Legends - Terry Thompson

Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest - Clark and Inverarity

A Story as Sharp as a Knife - Robert Bringhurst (if you can pick this book up, it is amazing).

Until /u/thegodsarepleased weighs in: the NW Coast culture area is huge and there is a great deal of variation in the practices of the nations. However, some generalizations can be made. Much of this applies the the southern half of the territory, from the Columbia River south, but some is applicable further north.

Most believed that super natural powers were manifested in deities and a variety of other beings. Supernatural powers were also attributed to animals, people, some features of the natural world (particularly unusual land forms such as peaks, large rocks, lakes and others.) Deities varied among groups, but many were instrumental actors in origin myths. Prayers and rituals (particularly dances) were vehicles with which you could interact with deities. One of the hallmarks of NW culture was complex dance and singing rituals that had strict rules or "recipes". Most tribes had certain members who were active in conducting the complex rituals and maintaining the regalia. Among some tribes religious power was connected to healing. In others these functions were separate.

Animals had powers both in life or after (like some humans). Interaction with animals often portended changes in luck or fortune. If not treated appropriately, animals could adversely effect your luck. Some animals, particularly Ravens and coyote, were tricksters and could mislead you or cause you trouble.

Certain behavior was required in certain areas. Designated areas were to be avoided, sometimes by only one gender, others by everyone. Certain areas, like vision quest sites (often in remote mountain areas, were to be avoided by all unless accompanied by a religious leader/teacher, or the person on a quest. These same sites were often used in fasting and dancing rituals while preparing to be a religious leader or doctor.

In addition to deities and animals there existed literally hundreds of other mythical entities, like "little people", thunderbird, witches (bad people that lived alone in the forest and were really wealthy), and many, many others. The sun and moon figure prominently in mythology and were thought to be powerful entities.

In the far south, among the large tribes of southern Oregon and northern California, religious rituals were employed to heal the sick, celebrate rites of passage, bring good luck and to bring the world into balance. "World renewal ceremonies" like the white deerskin dance, and jump dance were employed to bring peace, improve relations between and among tribes and provide environmental productivity and stability.

Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 7 Northwest Coast, Sturdevant, W. 1990

Haida texts, and myths, Swanton, J. R.,BAE. 1908

Handbook of California Indians, Kroeber, A., 1970

K. Ames and H. Maschner, Peoples of the Northwest Coast, their Archaeology and Prehistory. 1999, Thames and Hudson. London.

Raven the Trickster American Museum of Natural History

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