Includes bibliographical references (pages 662-758) and index.

[pt. 1.] Introduction / Deward E. Walker, Jr. -- History of research / E.S. Lohse and Roderick Sprague -- Environment / James C. Chatters -- Languages / M. Dale Kinkade, William W. Elmendorf, Bruce Rigsby, and Haruo Aoki -- [pt. 2.] Prehistory: Prehistory: introduction / James C. Chatters and David L. Pokotylo -- Prehistory of the Northern Plateau / David L. Pokotylo and Donald Mitchell -- Prehistory of the Southern Plateau / Kenneth M. Ames, Don E. Dumond, Jerry R. Galm, and Rick Minor -- Prehistory of the Eastern Plateau / Tom E. Roll and Steven Hackenberger -- [pt. 3.] History: History until 1846 / Deward E. Walker, Jr. and Roderick Sprague -- History since 1846 / Stephen Dow Beckham -- [pt. 4.] The peoples: Lillooet / Dorothy I.D. Kennedy and Randall T. Bouchard -- Thompson / David Wyatt -- Shuswap / Marianne Boelscher Ignace -- Nicola / David Wyatt -- Kootenai / Bill B. Brunton -- Northern Okanagan, Lakes, and Colville / Dorothy I.D. Kennedy and Randall T. Bouchard -- Middle Columbia River Salishans / Jay Miller -- Spokane / John Alan Ross -- Kalispel / Sylvester L. Lahren, Jr. -- Flathead and Pend d'Oreille / Carling I. Malouf -- Coeur d'Alene / Gary B. Palmer -- Yakima and neighboring groups / Helen H. Schuster -- Palouse / Roderick Sprague -- Wasco, Wishram, and Cascades / David H. French and Katherine S. French -- Western Columbia River Sahaptins / Eugene S. Hunn and David H. French -- Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla / Theodore Stern -- Nez Perce / Deward E. Walker, Jr. -- Molala / Henry B. Zenk and Bruce Rigsby -- Klamath and Modoc / Theodore Stern -- [pt. 5.] Special topics: Demographic history until 1990 / Robert T. Boyd -- Reservations and reserves / Sylvester L. Lahren, Jr. -- Religious movements / Deward E. Walker, Jr. and Helen H. Schuster -- Kinship, family, and gender roles / Lillian A. Ackerman -- Ethnobiology and subsistence / Eugene S. Hunn, Nancy J. Turner, and David H. French -- Music and dance / Loran Olsen -- The stick game / Bill B. Brunton -- Mythology / Rodney Frey and Dell Hymes -- Basketry / Richard G. Conn and Mary Dodds Schlick -- Rock art / Keo Boreson -- Fishing / Gordon W. Hewes -- Columbia River trade network / Theodore Stern.