A History of the Chinook Tribe

The Chinookan tribe used to be here 300 years ago. They would harvest a plant called Wapato. They would put a special type of rock in the fire and they would pull it out, then put it in a tightly weaved basket. Then they would pour water in it, then, they would put in the Wapato. The hot rock would cook it. Salmon were important to the Chinook people because there were so many salmon, and there was so much nutrition in them.

The Chinook people traveled everywhere by canoe. Some canoes could hold up to 30 people. The Chinook lit fires around their village to burn trails and put nutrition in the ground to grow grasses, to attract deer and elk. The native northwest tribes used dip nets, harpoons, and fish spears.

Native American tribes had totems that represented their tribe. Potlatches were thrown by the Chinook tribe. At a potlatch, they would dance, tell stories, stuff themselves with food [this was considered good manners] and most important, give gifts.

Noble elders were known as chiefs. Nobles hunted, and fished. Commoners did the same as nobles. And slaves did the things that nobody else wanted to do. Since the river was so rich with salmon, it was easy to trade for things like rocks to make arrowheads, mortal and pestle, and so on. When settlers came, they traded with the Chinook. The things that the settlers gave to the Chinook gave them the flu and measles and wiped out most of the tribe.

- by Eliot Martin, 9 years old