Early Years

The Chinook are an indigenous population located in the Pacific Northwest of the United States which includes several groups of indigenous tribes who all speak Chinookan languages.

Residing mainly along the Columbia River on the border of modern-day Oregon and Washington, the Chinook were known for fishing; particularly their hunting of salmon, which has heavily influenced their contemporary culture and traditions. 

According to the Atlas of Indian Nations, the Chinook were first discovered during the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Northwest, where many tribes were found residing along the Lower Columbia River. Upon discovery, the Chinook were found to have a highly stratified society where spiritual leaders, warriors and traders were isolated from other members of their tribes.

The indigenous society of the Chinook, while complex socioeconomically, were generally open to trading with other nations. Being situated on the Columbia River, a river rife with resources (mostly, salmon), the Chinook took advantage of this and traded with several different interior populations; even some as far east as the Great Plains and as far north as Vancouver Island.

Anthropological research done in the Macmillan Encyclopedia (an encyclopedia which is revised every year) shows that "Chinook Jargon" quickly became the trade language of the Pacific Northwest at the time, as the Chinook were able to use this to trade goods to the North, South and the inland areas of the Columbia River.

Because of the geographical location of many of the Chinookan tribes along the Columbia River, their resources were abundant. The river's proximity to the Pacific Ocean helped substantially, as salmon and other species of fish would swim up river where the Chinook resided. Much of the population would primarily live off fish and other local game, but the land offered plenty of other  rich resources for the Chinook.

Due to the warm summers and cold, wet winters, the forests of the area are large and dense, with trees growing to be hundreds of feel tall. These trees were perfect for structural functions, like the building of canoes and plank houses.
The Chinook lived off of the resources of the land for many years, to the point where the Columbia River became part of the nation's identity. Salmon in particular is one of the most influential aspects of Chinookan culture, as much of its traditions and religions were formed from this sacred resource. To understand Chinookan culture, you need to understand the role of Salmon in the Pacific Northwest.


To be continued...




References:

Map of Pacific Northwest U.S. [Digital image]. (2018, September 27). Retrieved November 8, 2018, from https://mymplace.com/map-of-pacific-northwest-us-pacificnorthwestroadtripmap-jpg/map-of-pacific-northwest-us-pacificnorthwestroadtripmap-jpg-inspirationa-closeup-usa-northwest-map-map-us-pacific-northwest-map-save-map/

Chinook. (2014). In A. Treuer, Atlas of Indian Nations. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ngeoain/chinook/0?institutionId=4982

"Chinook." In The Macmillan Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Market House Books Ltd, 2003. https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/move/chinook/0?institutionId=4982

Russell, Charles Marion. Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia. 1905. Amon G. Carter, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX.