CogKnoSys

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Physical

Chinookan Peoples

Chinookan peoples are Indigenous groups of the Pacific Northwest who speak Chinookan languages and have long lived along the Columbia River and nearby coasts.

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The idea

Chinookan peoples are several groups of Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest who speak the Chinookan languages. They call the Columbia River Wimahl, or Great River. Their homeland stretched from the river's gorge, near the present town of The Dalles, Oregon, downstream to the river's mouth. It also included nearby coasts from Tillamook Head in Oregon north to Willapa Bay in southwest Washington.

No one is sure where the word Chinook comes from. It may be Tsinúk, a Chehalis word for the people of a village site on Baker Bay, or it may mean Fish Eaters or strong fighters. Chinookan languages also helped form Chinook Jargon, a trade language. For that reason, linguists use the word Chinookan to tell the older languages apart from their offspring, Chinuk Wawa.

Some Chinookan peoples belong to federally recognized tribes. Most Wishram people belong to the Yakama Nation, and the Wasco are one of the three tribes that make up the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Other Chinookan people belong to the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community. Federal recognition means the United States government accepts a tribe as a nation with its own government, which affects its rights and the services it can receive. The Chinook Indian Nation is made up of the five westernmost Chinookan tribes: the Lower Chinook, Clatsop, Willapa, Wahkiakum and Kathlamet.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 2

What does Wimahl, the Chinookan name for the Columbia River, mean?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Chinookan languages — The related languages these groups speak, which also form part of the basis of Chinook Jargon.
  • River homeland — The Columbia River from its gorge near The Dalles, Oregon, downstream to its mouth.
  • Coastal lands — Neighboring coasts from Tillamook Head in Oregon north to Willapa Bay in Washington.
  • Members of recognized tribes — Chinookan people within the Yakama Nation, the Warm Springs tribes and the Grand Ronde Community.
  • Chinook Indian Nation — The Lower Chinook, Clatsop, Willapa, Wahkiakum and Kathlamet, the five westernmost tribes.

Connection

how it relates

Under Tribes and Indigenous Nations of the Lower Columbia

In place

  1. Columbia Riverstrength 90 of 100

    Chinookan peoples and their ancestors have lived along the Columbia River, which they call Wimahl, since at least 11,500 BCE.

  2. Columbia River Gorgestrength 50 of 100

    Chinookan homelands reached upriver to the Columbia's gorge near The Dalles, Oregon.

Related

  1. Chinook Salmonstrength 60 of 100

    The Chinook salmon's common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples.

  2. Language and Communicationstrength 60 of 100

    Chinook Jargon, a trade language, is based in part on the Chinookan languages.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
Chinookan peoples and their ancestors have lived along the Columbia River and its nearby coasts since at least 11,500 BCE. In 1805 members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the Chinook Tribe near the river's lower reaches. The Chinook Indian Nation gained federal recognition on January 3, 2001. After George W. Bush became president, his political appointees revoked it in a highly unusual action.
Now
As of 2024, the Chinook Indian Nation was still working to restore its federal recognition.
Next
Whether the Chinook Indian Nation regains federal recognition depends on decisions by the federal government. Efforts to keep Chinookan languages and traditions alive are likely to continue.

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

Chinookan Peoples

Chinookan peoples are Indigenous groups of the Pacific Northwest who speak Chinookan languages and have long lived along the Columbia River and nearby coasts.

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Chinookan peoples are several groups of Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest who speak the Chinookan languages. They call the Columbia River Wimahl, or Great River. Their homeland stretched from the river's gorge, near the present town of The Dalles, Oregon, downstream to the river's mouth. It also included nearby coasts from Tillamook Head in Oregon north to Willapa Bay in southwest Washington.

No one is sure where the word Chinook comes from. It may be Tsinúk, a Chehalis word for the people of a village site on Baker Bay, or it may mean Fish Eaters or strong fighters. Chinookan languages also helped form Chinook Jargon, a trade language. For that reason, linguists use the word Chinookan to tell the older languages apart from their offspring, Chinuk Wawa.

Some Chinookan peoples belong to federally recognized tribes. Most Wishram people belong to the Yakama Nation, and the Wasco are one of the three tribes that make up the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Other Chinookan people belong to the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community. Federal recognition means the United States government accepts a tribe as a nation with its own government, which affects its rights and the services it can receive. The Chinook Indian Nation is made up of the five westernmost Chinookan tribes: the Lower Chinook, Clatsop, Willapa, Wahkiakum and Kathlamet.

Check yourself

2 quick questions, instant feedback.