Unlike the Indians of the East, the Iroquois or the Algonquin, Indians of the Pacific regions were organized in units smaller than tribes, usually in family-centered villages. Chinooks lived in villages on the riverbank of the Columbia River, from British Columbia, Canada to Eastern Washington State, to the Pacific Ocean, and that was around where the end of the Oregon Trail (Chinookindian). These Indians were mostly hunters and fishermen. .
In a geographical sketch of that part of North America called Oregon in 1830 was written "they would find a beautiful valley, cut off from the winds of the Pacific by mountains, well watered, nourished by a rich soil and exactly accommodated to the interests of its future cultivators (Billington 71)." Then the Chinook came to live in this place around thousands of years ago. Below was a short description about the life of the Chinook Indians.
Fishing was a year-round vocation. The men dipped nets into the Columbia River in the spring for smelts. In the late fall and early winter they fished for salmon. Like the plainsmen for whom the buffalo fulfilled many needs, the Chinook made the salmon a source of lotions and perfumes as well as food. The fish had religious uses as well. The Indian supplemented his diet with camas and wapatoo roots which he and his squaw could gather in meadows. Life for the Indians was not sumptuous, but neither was it uncomfortable. ( Robert 7).
From those descriptions, we can picture an image about the Chinook Indians. The fish trade from Chinook was a very big event in their history. They fished, mostly salmon, and hunted for food because they lived near valleys. Their usual daily meal was fish, deer, rabbits, and Salmon fish was their most important food. They hunted for elk, bears, and whales also. Then of course like the other Indians tribe people, they ate wild potatoes and berries. The Chinook Indians had their own traditional costume.
The next story of creation comes from the North American Chinook tribe that lives along the coast of British Colombia. ... Soon after the Spirit Bird left, the eggs that were left hatched and became the Chinook. This African creation story comes from the Efik tribe of Nigeria. ...
Many small tribes such as the Makah, the Chinook, and the Tillamook lived in this culture area. ... The Makah were a tribe of Northwest Indians. ... These tribes were the Senecas, Onondagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks. ... Wampum belts were used as a form of communication between Indian tribes. All Indian messengers carried wampum belts when going to other tribes. ...
They had a highly developed way of trading among themselves and other tribes, and got along well with eachother. ... "Potlatch" came from the Chinook word patshatl, meaning to give a way. ... This might be because of the fact that they did not have to worry about things other tribes did, like following a herd, or not having enough resources to build houses, etc. and had more time for art and to think about what they owned, but whatever it was, it caused the Haida to be extremely concerned about social status. ...
The Lewis and Clark expedition, one of the most remarkable journeys ever in the nation's history, took place about 200 years ago. At that time, much of the country had not yet been explored; much of the territory was west of the Missouri River. On March 4, 1801, Jefferson took the presidential oath of office. In his speech, he asked Americans "to unite with one heart and one mind."" He was not only referring to bringing the political parties together, but also to expand the nation westward. ...
