What Is the Chinook Tribe?
The Chinook Tribe is a group of Native Americans originally found in the Pacific Northwest. Their territory ranged from current-day British Columbia, Canada to eastern Washington State, and their villages were placed along the Columbia River. Their bands were loosely referred to as Upper and Lower Chinook, depending upon where they lived along the river. European traders began to interact with these Indians in the late sixteenth century, and in 1805 Lewis and Clark recorded their visit with the Chinook Tribe. Members of the Chinook Tribe lived in small related bands led by a temporary leader, usually a respected elder. They built longhouses that ranged from 60 ft (18.29 m) to 100 feet (30.48 m) long and 40 feet (12.19 m) wide with cedar planks and bark roofs. Each building housed an extended family and was divided into smaller rooms with woven mats hung from the ceiling for immediate family groups. Sleeping platforms like bunks were built along the walls.
