Chinook (from Tsinúk,
their Chehalis name). The best-known tribe of the Chinookan family. They
claimed the territory on the north side of Columbia River, Wash., from the
mouth to Grays bay, a distance of about 15 miles, and north along the
seacoast as far as the north part of Shoalwater bay, where they were met
by the Chehalis, a Salish tribe. The Chinook were first described by Lewis
and Clark, who visited them in 1805, though they had been known to traders
for at least 12 years previously. Lewis and Clark estimated their number
at 400, but referred only to those living on Columbia River. Swan placed
their number at 112 in 1855, at which time they were much mixed with the
Chehalis, with whom they have since completely fused, their language being
now extinct. From their proximity to Astoria and their intimate relations
with the early traders, the Chinook soon became well known, and their
language formed the basis for the widely spread Chinook jargon, which was
first used as a trade language and is now a medium of communication from
California to Alaska. The portion of the tribe living around Shoalwater
bay was called Atsmitl. The following divisions and villages have been
recorded: Chinook, Gitlapshoi, Nemah, Nisal, Palux, Wharhoots.
