According to this source the salish speaking tribes were matriarchal. The artist Robert Cecil was from a salish tribe and described it as such.

http://northwestnativeamericanart.com/robert_cecil

The following is quoted from the site above.

Roberts mother passed away when he was six years old. Among her people and without her presence he was made to feel like outsider. The Salish people are a matriarchal society, and Robert was living with his maternal aunt, grandmother and cousins. However because Robert’s father was a Tsimshin in the Salish territory Robert was not allowed to work on the reserve where jobs were reserved only for band members.

Also found a pretty interesting encyclopedia entry which list the different types of salish speaking indians and explains how they lived in small family related clan groups.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/519387/Salish
Source(s):
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/519387/Salish

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