The Chinook Indians

The Chinook Indians lived in the Northwest along the banks of the Columbia River and the coast of the Pacific Ocean. They live in Washington state.The Chinooks were superb canoe builders and navigators, masterful traders, skillful fishermen and planters.  





  • What language do the Chinook Indians speak?
Chinook people all speak English today. In the past, they spoke their native Chinook language, which was a complicated language with many sounds that don't exist in English. Nobody speaks this language anymore. But some elders still speak a second language, called the Chinook Jargon, which was a trade language of the Northwest Coast that combined words and sounds from Chinook, Nootka, English, and other languages. If you'd like to know an easy Chinook Jargon word, "klahowya" (pronounced klah-how-yuh) is a friendly greeting.
  • How do Chinook Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?
They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Chinook children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys and games to play. A form of lacrosse was a popular among teenagers as it was among adult men. Like many Native Americans, Chinook mothers traditionally carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents have adopted now.
  • What were men and women's roles in the Chinook tribe?
Chinook women gathered plants, herbs and clams and did most of the child care and cooking. Men were fishermen and hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Both genders took part in trade, storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine. The Chinook chief was always a man, but clan leaders could be either men or women.
  • What was Chinook clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face paint?
Chinook men didn't usually wear clothing at all, though some men wore a breech-clout. Women wore short skirts made of cedar bark or grass. In the rain, the Chinooks wore tule rush capes, and in colder weather, they wore fur robes and moccasins on their feet. Later, after European influence, Makah people began wearing blanket robes. Here is a website on Northwest Indian clothes and textiles, and some photos and links about Native American Indian costume in general.
  • What about Chinook religion?
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about the Chinook religion or this site about Native American religion in general.
Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about the Chinook religion or this site about Native American religion in general. http://www.native-languages.org/religion.htm


  1. http://www.chinooknation.org/
  2. http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/chi.html
  3. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/before1500/history/chinook.htm



No comments:

Post a Comment