Chinook Indians - Grade: A PDF

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Chinook Indians Throughout the time from the beginning of the Chinook Indians to present day, Chinook culture has thrived greatly despite any changes that have influenced and have been brought about by the introduction of modern influence of Europeans. The Chinook people originate in the Pacific Northwest Coast, and thrive in what is modern day Oregon and Washington. The environment that they are surrounded by consists of forests, mountains, and many rivers. They thrive through warm summers and very rainy winters. While many of their people are currently scattered through towns and villages in these two states, the Chinook people are not recognized as a tribe federally by the United States. This means they do not have a reservation or any land that is recognized as their territory. In their past days they’d have a head man (their local chief), but now, as a people, they elect a tribal council. One reason their location and way of life by means of location is so important is because of the huge role it plays on their subsistence, as it directly correlates to their land. Chinook’s had a heavy reliance on nature, and this was very evident by the equipment used to do things like prepare clothing, food, and shelter. They would use wooden boxes covered in sea shells to water proof valuable items like twine and tackle. The white cedar tree, also known as arborvitae, was very greatly utilized, as from the heart of it they made bows. Elk Sinew was used for the string, and also to cover the backs of bows. They were very knowledgeable, as they would make long arrows of a light wood because many of their arrows were shot in the water and this made it easier to retrieve them. Other weapons were made of bone- like fishhooks and spears. From ash and cedar they made things like eating utensils (such as bowls, trays, and ladles.) The animals hunted and used with these items would be mountain goats, rabbits, and elk. They also relied greatly on fish. They would boil salmon in tightly woven baskets by dropping hot stones in. One

of the last notable food items would be “Chinook Olives.” This was an acorn that had been placed in pits with dirt and grass, in which the Indians would urinate on occasion. This marinated them, and once cooked resulted in the delicacy of the Chinook Olive. Another important factor beyond sustenance is shelter. These people would live near water in villages in large, rectangular houses made of cedar wood. These are known as Plank Houses. They normally housed an entire extended family and were usually about 70 feet long. To thrive, the people needed to get up and down the rivers for hunting, fishing, trading, and warfare. This was done by hollowing out cedar and making what is called a dugout canoe. The people spoke what is now referred to a “Chinook Jargon” and is almost virtually non existent today. It is comprised of many sounds and noises that don’t exist in the English language, and only very few elders would consider it as a second language. As far as clothing goes, if men wore any clothes at all, it would usually be mat robes. This wasn’t so much for warmth, but more so to shed the heavy rain of the area. This would also be accompanied with hats woven of bear grass with a very wide brim. In the colder times, they would wear thigh length robes and blankets made of animal fur. Women, on the other hand, wore rabbit and gooseskin strips that had been twisted with feathers. (Ruby, 15) In the summer the commonly wore skirts that were knee length and made of cedar bark and silk grass. A very notable thing is that their use of leather was prevented due to their moist environment. While both genders were able to hold a part in storytelling, music and art, medicine, and trade; there were jobs that were gendered. Men were the hunters and fishermen, sometimes warriors. Women were the gathers, gathering herbs, clams, and plants all while cooking and taking care of the children. While there were different jobs for each gender, one notable aspect would be that both men and women could be a Chinook clan leader.

The Chinook people have experienced many social, economic, and cultural changes by integrating into modern European life, but their roots will always stay the same. One culture bound by their past, though in different places and not practicing all aspects of life traditionally, will never be broken.

Works Cited:

Ruby, Robert H., and John A. Brown. 1976. The Chinook Indians : Traders of the Lower Columbia River. The Civilization of the American Indian series, [v. 138]; Civilization of the American Indian series, v. 138. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Beckham, Stephen Dow. 1971. Requiem for a People : The Rogue Indians and the Frontiersmen. [1st ed.]. The Civilization of the American Indian series, v. 108; Civilization of the American Indian series, v. 108. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Clark, Ella E. 1953. Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest. Cal, 18. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Jacobs, Melville. 1959. The Content and Style of an Oral Literature: Clackamas Chinook Myths and Tales. Viking Foundation publications in anthropological research, no. 26. Chicago: University of Chicago Press....