essay
The Chinook Indians in the early 1800s
western shore: oregon country essays honoring the american revolution • Portland • Published In 1975 • Pages: 120-149
By: Ray, Verne Frederick.
Abstract
In the early 1800s the United States was in a process of territorial expansion and sought to acquire the Oregon country with its profitable trade on the lower Columbia. To accomplish this, president Thomas Jefferson enlisted the services of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to survey and explore the region and establish friendly relationships with the Native Americans of the area, learning in the process as much about them as possible to insure the success of Jefferson's plan. This document compares the adequacy of the cultural equipment of the whites (here in terms of the personnel of the Lewis and Clark party) and the Indians in handling the problems posed by the environment of the Chinookan area and by the social milieu. The Indians encountered in this area were the tribes of the lower Columbia Valley and adjacent regions, namely the Lower Chinook proper, the Kathlamet, and the Clatsop (p. 123). Ray presents several excerpts from the journals of the expedition that provide ethnographic information on the Chinookan people (e.g., navigational skills, canoes, language, clothing, etc.).
- HRAF PubDate
- 2004
- Region
- North America
- Sub Region
- Northwest Coast and California
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Explorer
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 2002
- Field Date
- early 1800s
- Coverage Date
- early nineteenth century
- Coverage Place
- Lower Chinook region, southern Washington and northern Oregon, United States
- Notes
- Verne F. Ray
- Includes bibliographical references
- LCCN
- 75016799
- LCSH
- Chinook Indians