Chinook Indians, a small Pacific Coast tribe belonging to the Chinookan language family. They lived along the Columbia River and the adjoining coastal area in Washington and Oregon. The Chinook subsisted chiefly on salmon and other fish, nuts, roots, and berries. They carried on extensive barter with neighboring tribes, and originated the Chinook jargon, a trade language of a few hundred words derived mainly from Chinook, English, French, and Russian.
The Chinook were first described by Lewis and Clark in 1805 and numbered about 2,000 at the time. Epidemics in the 19th century took a heavy toll of their numbers and the survivors were settled on reservations in Washington and Oregon with other coastal tribes. The tribe has all but lost its separate identity as a result of intermarriage.