Gorge
Indigenous peoples of the lower Columbia River and Pacific coast.
Chinookan peoples include several groups of Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest in the United States who speak the Chinookan languages. Since at least 11,500 BCE, Chinookan peoples and their ancestors have resided along the upper and Middle Columbia River (Wimahl) from the river's gorge downstream to the river's mouth, and along adjacent portions of the coasts, from Tillamook Head of present-day Oregon in the south, north to Willapa Bay in southwest Washington.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Dynamix
Lore & Background
The term "Chinook" also has a wider meaning in reference to the Chinook Jargon, which is based on Chinookan languages. The term "Chinookan" was coined by linguists to distinguish the older language from its offspring, Chinuk Wawa. There are several theories about where the name "Chinook" came from. Some say it is a Chehalis word Tsinúk for the inhabitants of a particular village site on Baker Bay, or "Fish Eaters." It may also be a word meaning "strong fighters."
Reader's Guide
Some Chinookan peoples are part of several federally recognized Tribes: the Yakama Nation (primarily Wishram), the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation (primarily Wasco), and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community. The Chinook Indian Nation, consisting of the five westernmost tribes of Chinookan peoples (Lower Chinook, Clatsop, Willapa, Wahkiakum, and Kathlamet), is currently working to restore federal recognition, as of 2024. The unrecognized Tchinouk Indians of Oregon trace their Chinook ancestry to two Chinook women who married French Canadians traders from the Hudson's Bay Company before 1830. The unrecognized Clatsop-Nehalem Confederate Tribes was formed in 2000.
Did You Know?
- The Chinook Indian Nation gained Federal Recognition on January 3, 2001, but it was later revoked under President George W. Bush.
- The elite of some Chinook tribes practiced head binding to flatten children's foreheads as a mark of social status.
- Franz Boas published 'Chinook Texts' in 1894, including myths and tales told by the Chinookan people.
More in Maps & Environments
Elsewhere in Tribes
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced