CogKnoSys

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Physical

Chinook Indian Nation

The Chinook Indian Nation unites five Chinookan tribes of the lower Columbia and was federally recognized only from 2001 to 2002.

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The idea

The Chinook Indian Nation is a tribe in Oregon and Washington made up of the five westernmost Chinookan tribes: the Cathlamet, Clatsop, Lower Chinook, Wahkiakum and Willapa. Its headquarters is in Bay Center, Washington. The tribe is governed by a chair and a nine-member council, and most members live near their traditional lands. The Chinookan people of the Columbia River had a vast trading network before and during European colonization.

As settlers arrived, the tribes that later formed the Chinook Nation signed the Tansy Point Treaty in 1851, which would have granted them land, but Congress never ratified it. Talks at the Chehalis River in 1855 failed, and in 1856 Chinookans were moved to the Grand Ronde reservation, though some refused to go. Working toward recognition, the Chinook Indian Nation wrote its constitution in 1925.

Federal recognition matters because it gives a tribe a formal government-to-government relationship with the United States. The tribe's efforts to win back recognition have included a campaign for an act of Congress. In April 2025 it turned down a proposed bill that would have removed its natural resource rights. In 2023 courts ruled that the tribe was entitled to land claim money first awarded in 1970. The tribe works to revive canoe traditions and the Chinook Jargon language, and it holds a Winter Gathering and a First Salmon Festival.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 3

Where is the Chinook Indian Nation's headquarters?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Five member tribes — The Cathlamet, Clatsop, Lower Chinook, Wahkiakum and Willapa.
  • Tribal government — A chair and a nine-member council.
  • Headquarters — The tribal offices in Bay Center, Washington.
  • Cultural revival — Work to bring back canoe traditions and the Chinook Jargon language.
  • Gatherings — The Winter Gathering and the First Salmon Festival.

Connection

how it relates

Under Chinookan Peoples

In place

  1. Columbia Riverstrength 80 of 100

    Chinookan peoples lived along the Columbia River and built a vast trading network on it.

Felt

  1. Columbia River Salmon Runsstrength 60 of 100

    The tribe honors salmon with its First Salmon Festival.

Related

  1. Language and Communicationstrength 50 of 100

    The tribe works to revive Chinook Jargon, a language once widely used for trade in the region.

  2. Social Justicestrength 40 of 100

    The tribe's struggle for federal recognition raises questions of fairness and treaty rights.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
The Chinookan trading center of Cathlapotle, established in the 15th century, was visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The tribe petitioned for recognition in 1981, won it in January 2001, and lost it again in July 2002.
Now
As of 2026 the tribe is still not federally recognized, but in March 2026 the Washington State Senate passed a resolution honoring its presence along the lower Columbia.
Next
The tribe will likely keep pressing for federal recognition, whether through Congress or through the courts.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Chinook Indian Nation

The Chinook Indian Nation unites five Chinookan tribes of the lower Columbia and was federally recognized only from 2001 to 2002.

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

The Chinook Indian Nation is a tribe in Oregon and Washington made up of the five westernmost Chinookan tribes: the Cathlamet, Clatsop, Lower Chinook, Wahkiakum and Willapa. Its headquarters is in Bay Center, Washington. The tribe is governed by a chair and a nine-member council, and most members live near their traditional lands. The Chinookan people of the Columbia River had a vast trading network before and during European colonization.

As settlers arrived, the tribes that later formed the Chinook Nation signed the Tansy Point Treaty in 1851, which would have granted them land, but Congress never ratified it. Talks at the Chehalis River in 1855 failed, and in 1856 Chinookans were moved to the Grand Ronde reservation, though some refused to go. Working toward recognition, the Chinook Indian Nation wrote its constitution in 1925.

Federal recognition matters because it gives a tribe a formal government-to-government relationship with the United States. The tribe's efforts to win back recognition have included a campaign for an act of Congress. In April 2025 it turned down a proposed bill that would have removed its natural resource rights. In 2023 courts ruled that the tribe was entitled to land claim money first awarded in 1970. The tribe works to revive canoe traditions and the Chinook Jargon language, and it holds a Winter Gathering and a First Salmon Festival.

Check yourself

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