Chinook
The Chinook proper (Lower Chinook) lived along the north bank of the Columbia River near its mouth and on the shores of present-day Willapa Bay in Washington, occupying one of the most resource-rich environments on the continent. They were the preeminent traders of the Pacific Northwest, and the Chinook trade jargon that bore their name served as the lingua franca of commerce from Alaska to California. Lewis and Clark encountered the Chinook in November 1805, finding them skilled canoe builders and shrewd negotiators already experienced in dealing with Euro-American maritime traders. The expedition noted their flattened-head cranial modification, elaborate cedar plank houses, and extensive use of salmon and wapato.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons / Wikipedia: Chinook Indian Nation
Most Mentioned in Chinook-tagged Entries
People
- Collins (12)
- Capt Lewis (12)
- Shannon (9)
- Drouillard (9)
- Gibson (8)
- Joseph Field (8)
- Patrick Gass (6)
- Reubin Field (6)
- McNeal (5)
- Nathaniel Pryor (4)
Places
- Columbia River (18)
- Rocky Mountains (10)
- Point Adams (6)
- Missouri River (6)
- Fort Clatsop (5)
- Salt works (4)
- Netul (4)
- Cape Disapointment (3)
- Netul river (3)
- Cape disapointment (2)
Biography
The Chinook people dominated the lower Columbia River and its estuary — one of the richest environments on the continent. They were master traders whose language became the basis for Chinook Jargon, the trade pidgin of the Pacific Northwest.
The expedition encountered the Chinook near the mouth of the Columbia in November 1805. Relations were generally cordial but sometimes tense, as the Chinook were experienced traders who drove hard bargains and the captains were frustrated by what they perceived as theft.
The Chinook economy was based on salmon, which they caught in enormous quantities and traded throughout the region. Their material culture — plank houses, ocean-going canoes, elaborate woodwork — impressed the expedition members, though Clark complained about fleas in the Chinook dwellings.
The Chinook, like many Pacific Northwest peoples, suffered catastrophic population decline in the early 19th century from introduced diseases, particularly the malaria epidemics of the 1830s.
Territory & Encounter Locations
Treaties (1)
Tent of Many Voices (13)
56:28
26:49
24:26
29:33
49:23
42:35
49:01
47:26
43:21
51:22
49:26
51:14
33:19
Journal Entries (52)
Cross-Narrator Analyses
AI-assisted scholarly analyses that cite or discuss Chinook — showing 24 of the most recent matches.
Deer Island: Four Narrators, One Snake-Covered Camp
On a rainy stop to repair leaking canoes, four expedition journalists describe the same Deer Island camp — but each fixes on…
The Shawnee Nation in the Lewis & Clark Record
Though the Corps of Discovery did not encounter the Shawnee homeland during their westward journey, the Shawnee people occupied a notable place…
Crowded Canoes and a Taste for Dog: Four Voices on the Columbia
On April 13, 1806, the expedition split forces above the rapids to replace a lost canoe. Lewis, Clark, Gass, and Ordway each…
Four Pens, One Sturgeon Camp: Ascending the Columbia
On the second day after leaving Fort Clatsop, four expedition journalists record the same wind-bound progress, the same Cathlahmah fishing lodge, and…
Departure from Fort Clatsop: Two Sergeants Watch the Canoes Push Off
Sergeants Gass and Ordway both record the expedition's departure from Fort Clatsop after 106 days of coastal winter. Their parallel entries reveal…
Four Pens, Four Registers: A Day of Hunger and Visitors at Fort Clatsop
On the eve of departure from Fort Clatsop, four expedition journalists record the same day in strikingly different registers — from Lewis…
A Uniform Coat for a Canoe: Departure Preparations at Fort Clatsop
On the eve of leaving Fort Clatsop, three narrators record the same transactions in markedly different registers — a captain's coat traded…
Four Elk, a Lost Foresight, and an Unwelcome Return at Fort Clatsop
On a damp March Saturday at Fort Clatsop, four narrators record the same hunters' return, the same Chinook visitors, and the same…
Steamed Sturgeon and Silent Skies: Domestic Science at Fort Clatsop
On a quiet March day at Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark produce nearly identical entries cataloguing Native cooking techniques and Pacific birdlife,…
Empty Stores and the Mystery of the Sewelel
With provisions reduced to three days of tainted elk, the captains dispatch hunting parties in every direction while Lewis turns naturalist, puzzling…
Three Pens at Fort Clatsop: Ordway’s Illness and the Sea Otter Described
On a quiet Sunday at Fort Clatsop, Lewis and Clark produce nearly identical sea otter descriptions while Sergeant Ordway, sidelined by influenza,…
Cedar-Bark Hats and the Captains’ Parallel Pens
On a quiet Saturday at Fort Clatsop, two Clatsop women deliver custom-fitted hats woven to measurements taken weeks before. The captains' near-identical…
Four Pens at Fort Clatsop: A Chinook Chief, a Hatful of Cedar Bark, and the Captains’ Doctrine of Distrust
On a damp February day at Fort Clatsop, four expedition journalists record the same visit by a Chinook chief — but only…
Wind on the Bay, Wonders in the Fort: Four Voices at Clatsop
Two parties launch from Fort Clatsop only to be turned back by stormy water, while inside the captains catalog a spotted cat's…
Seven Elk, One Bushel of Salt: Provisioning Anxieties at Fort Clatsop
On a wet February day at Fort Clatsop, four narrators record the same hunt and salt delivery in strikingly different registers —…
One Month Elapsed: Ethnography and Tedium at Fort Clatsop
On a damp Sunday at Fort Clatsop, the captains mark a milestone in their winter confinement by turning to ethnographic description of…
Hunters on the Netul, Canoes on the Page: Parallel Labors at Fort Clatsop
On a snowy February day at Fort Clatsop, four narrators record the same hunting party departing up the Netul — but Lewis…
Lean Elk and Cedar Hats: Divergent Registers at Fort Clatsop
On a quiet winter day at Fort Clatsop, four narrators produce strikingly different records — from Gass's terse weather note to Lewis's…
Marksmen, Medicine, and Barefoot Visitors: Four Views from Fort Clatsop
On a snowy January day at Fort Clatsop, returning hunters arrive with Clatsop assistants bearing elk and deer. Four narrators record the…
The Iowa Tribe in the Lewis & Clark Journals: A Note on Absence
Although the Iowa (Ioway) Nation appears peripherally in the broader ethnographic horizon of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the corpus of journal…
Diet Across the Expedition: A Seasonal Analysis
From buffalo feasts on the northern plains to dog meat purchased on the Columbia and elk steaks rationed at Fort Clatsop, the…
Diet Across the Expedition: A Seasonal Analysis
From the bison-rich winter at Fort Mandan to the salmon and wapato of the Pacific coast, the Corps of Discovery's diet shifted…
Six Pounds in Two Days: Hunger, Habit, and Hospitality at Fort Clatsop
On a wet January day at Fort Clatsop, three Clatsop visitors smoke the pipe while the captains tally dwindling stores. Lewis and…
Four Pens, One Dog, and a Clatsop House
On a wet January day at Fort Clatsop, two Clatsops returned for a forgotten dog. While Gass and Ordway dispatched the visit…
From Heacock's Writings
16 mirrored articles by Robert Heacock that mention Chinook.
The Watlalas
The Wahkiakums
The Sandy River
The "quicksand river"
The Skilloots
Alcohol Rations
Ardent spirits on the expedition
April 9, 1806
Beautiful waterfalls
January 8, 1806
A night at Ecola
November 7, 1805
Ocean in view?
December 30, 1805
Fair morning
January 3, 1806
An agreeable food
April 3, 1806
Mapping the Willamette River
November 27, 1805
Sheltering at Tongue Point
March 27, 1806
Generous Skilloots
March 26, 1806
At Fanny's Bottom
October 21, 1805
Columbia River rapids
April 2, 1806
Exploring the Willamette River
