This volume is part of the Smithsonian Institution's Handbook of North American Indians series. The set is intended to give an encyclopedic summary of what is known about the prehistory, history, and cultures of the aboriginal peoples of North America north of the urban civilizations of central Mexico.

Volume 7 provides background information on the native peoples of the Northwest Coastal environment, their languages, and early history. Also contains sections on mythology, art, and the Indian Shaker Church.