Essay+on+Native+Americans

Alex Priore Start – 4/6/10 End – 4/9/10** .......The Chinook Tribe is a very well known tribe around the world. If you walked up to anyone and asked them if they have heard of them, most people would say yes, however, if you were to ask if you know why they were famous, they would not be able to answer. Very few people know why they are famous, actually, not many people at all know why any tribe is famous. Even tribes like Mohegan are only known for the casinos and not why they even have casinos. The Chinook tribe is one of the few tribes that are still alive today and they have a great story to be told. ......The history of this tribe has been passed down generation to generation, so there may be a margin of fiction added. The Europeans affected this tribe in a negative way; they acted as a nuisance to the people of the Chinook tribe. So it is said that in the year 1805 some men paddled and came into their tribe. They arrived in the lower part of their country. They asked the Chinook for information and depended heavily on it. The Lewis and Clark expedition could not have happened without the help of the tribe. They believed that the gods were mad at these men because that year a huge storm unloaded, “The wind whipped and the rain poured from the ocean with a vengeance”. The storm washed away the clothes on their back, “They had arrived at their goal but instead of glory they found misery”. The tribe supplied the men with wood and it is said that the men might have died off if the Chinook wasn’t there to help. ........The Chinook had to move to present day Oregon and Washington. At birth, Chinooks would flatten some children's heads by pressing pressure with a board. They had a flat-headed community and believed they were above those with round heads. Living near the coast of the Pacific Ocean, they were skilled elk hunters and fishermen. They also lived in long houses with more than fifty people in one long house. The Chinooks were very resourceful; they only killed animals when they really needed to. All parts of the animal were to be used and they never wasted any part of it. They have done things that would not be easy for us to do today, such as cutting down their trees which were said to be over 100 feet high for extremely long canoes which they still make today. It is wondered today how they achieved tasks like this. .......The Chinooks lived in a warm climate, so they didn't need much clothing during the summer. They would usually have loin cloths all summer, but in the winter, they had to wear dear skin leggings; dresses for some women. The women could wear woven rain hats and decorated clothes with things like teeth horns claws from animals and sometimes porcupine needles. Their religion happened from how they lived. Chinook religion focused on the First Salmon Rite, a ritual where each group welcomed the annual salmon run. Also they had a religious rite that was the individual spirit quest, an ordeal undertaken by all male and some female adolescents to acquire guardian spirits that would give them hunting, curing, or other powers, bring them good luck, or teach them songs and dances. Singing ceremonies were public demonstrations of these gifts. The Chinook also had ceremonial distributions of property. ....Chinooks used to live in longhouses, the name is self explanatory. Basically it is a place where a lot of people live. They thrive off off fire and body heat. They used the fire for cooking things like salmon and other fish from the Columbian river. However, they didn't only have fish, they would search in the mountains to find elk and rams so they could have meat. They have the same diet today, with exceptions. Like stated before they used all parts of the animals, they would carve down the horns and use them as jewelry or even earrings. ....There are a lot more things to be said about the Chinook tribe. Many of the things I have not mentioned are miscellaneous. Such as their art, music, myths/legends, and language and these things will be talked about more in the poem attached to this. I feel that the information about this tribe is slowly slipping away over time. This worries me because this used to be one of the most well-known tribes in the world. As time goes on, information on this tribe is slowly drifting off. I hope that this essay will raise the knowledge of this tribe’s existence. There are so many interesting facts about this tribe and as stated before, this tribe has a great story to be told.
 * Essay - Chinook Tribe

Intro History Religion Europeans Clothes Food shelter conclusion

POEM:

Chinooks have many traditions most of which are fun, They danced around the fires every day in celebration, They painted masks every time and drew the cardboard faces, They would jump over the fire while they cheered in most cases, Even though its different they still do it today, There are many other things that they do that are different anyway, They have many myths and legends, most of which are true, However, some historians feel the need to argue, There are stories of Europeans coming to their land, And how they kicked the Chinooks out of their homeland, These Chinooks were not happy so now their stories have been told, As their legends are passed on they start becoming old, They would sing every night when they have their celebrations, They would make up songs and pass them through their nation, They have many different songs some adopted by Europeans, After they were adopted they were sang to their regions, They had a language which they no longer use today, It's called Chinook Jargon and the used it to trade by the bay, They had words like Taxayem which they used to say hello, Now that the topics are covered its time for me to go

In the poem Intro, Art, Music, Legends/Myths, Language, End