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The Chinook People have made the Columbia River their home for thousands of years. 
The Great River, Yakaitl-Wimakl as the Chinook called it, provided sustenance through its bounty. From its depths, the Chinook People gathered salmon, sturgeon, and other fish. It was a liquid highway over which their canoes, laden with trade goods, moved from the coast to the interior. Its wetlands and floodplains teemed with wildlife which furnished everything they needed. The Chinook used materials from nature to meet all of their needs. They looked around at what the environment offered, then made what they found into tools, clothes, shelter, and even toys. top of page Cedar was literally the tree of life for Northwest Coast People. 
The Chinook used cedar for everything from houses to clothes to diapers. One reason for its importance was its great versatility. The bark - which was peeled from the tree without killing it - could be used in its original state, shredded into soft fibers, or made into strips. The tree could be cut down and hollowed out to make canoes or cut into planks for houses. Supple twigs, called withes, could be removed to use for lashing. Even the roots could be dug up to use for basketry. The Chinook built large cedar plank houses. 
The cedar plankhouse was the typical permanent dwelling of the Chinook and other coastal Northwest people. The size of these sturdy buildings ranged from approximately 14 x 20 feet to 40 x 100 feet. The size of the structure depended on the wealth of the owner and the number of families inhabiting it. Each family occupied a distinct portion of the house. Rush mats hanging from the rafters formed the walls to separate the living spaces. At the center of the house was the communal fireplace, where all of the members of the house could gather to socialize, eat, and work during long winter evenings. Sleeping platforms were set up along the walls, and food hung from the rafters to dry. top of page The Chinook made finely-woven baskets which were both beautiful and functional. 
Folded cedar bark baskets were an ingeniously designed temporary storage basket that could be made quickly in the forest to transport surplus foods or even carry and boil water. The Chinook and other Northwest people used natural substances for dyeing basketry materials. Cordage of all types - rope, string, fine twine - played an important role in almost every aspect of life along the Columbia River. Cedar was a favorite material, but nettle, rushes, willow bark, and other fibers were also used. Almost any activity you can think of utilized some sort of cordage.
top of page In addition to salmon and other fish, elk and deer were among the most important food resources used by the Chinook. 
Elk and deer, known as ungulates because they have hooves, moved between mountain meadows in the summer and the lowland forests and valleys around the Columbia during the winter when summer feeding grounds became covered with snow. Indians traveled up into the mountains in the summer, both to follow the game and to pick the berries which grew there in abundance. Just as with other natural resources used by the Chinook, virtually every part of an elk or deer had a function. Antlers were turned into knife handles and used for carving, hide was turned into pouches or armor (a popular trade item), meat was eaten, tendons were made into sinew for lashing, and bones were turned into a wide variety of tools. top of page The Chinook were prolific traders. 
The Chinook made another important use of their many resources. They traded with people from the coast to present-day eastern Washington and Oregon and western Idaho. Chinook towns were like small corporations, with people assigned jobs to produce dried wapato, dried fish, elk hides, and other products. In trade, the Chinook received dentalium shells, sea otter pelts, colored beads, obsidian, and other items. Dentalium shells were found in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Vancouver Island, and were valued by the Chinook. Dentalium shells were used to make beads for jewelry. top of page The legend was a very important part of life among Northwest peoples. The legend was the medium through which history was taught, natural phenomena were explained, and social values were passed down through the generations. The figures of these legends were part human, part animal, and part spirit. In addition to explaining and teaching, legends also entertained. Children and adults alike enjoyed hearing a story told over and over again by a good storyteller. In this way, they not only learned its lessons, they also learned how to pass it on to the next generation. Sometimes stories were acted out with masks and music. Often, the figures of legend were commemorated in carving and painting. top of page After the arrival of Lewis and Clark, epidemics decimated the native populations. 
When Europeans and Americans came to the Columbia River in the late eighteenth century to trade, they also brought diseases, such as malaria, smallpox, and measles. Because the Chinook and other Northwest Coast people had never been exposed to these diseases before, many Indians died. These epidemics emptied many of their villages, and eventually, the people who survived joined up with other tribes. As more and more white people came to settle along the river, the Chinook lost the land where they lived as well as their traditional hunting and fishing grounds. top of page Today, the Chinook are reclaiming their tribal identity. Today, the descendants
of the Cathlapotle and other Chinook People are unified in the Chinook
Tribe. There are more than 1200 enrolled members of the Chinook
Tribe living in the Northwest. Tribal members are recapturing the
art and the traditional skills of their ancestors. As part of these
efforts, the Chinook have actively supported and participated in
archaeological excavations to retrieve information about their culture. Try these classroom and field trip activities to learn more about the Chinook heritage.
Cultural History Bingo: Complete this bingo game on your trip
through the refuge. Learn more about the Chinook heritage in the Pacific Northwest! US Fish and Wildlife Service: Pacific Cultural Resources Office US Fish and Wildlife Service: Teacher resources US Fish and Wildlife Service: Cathlapotle Site Description US Fish and Wildlife Service: Wapato Portage Site Description Visit the other learning stations in the Refuge Cultural History field trip. |
