   the clatsop are a small tribe of chinookan-speaking native americans in the pacific northwest of the united states. in the early 19th century they inhabited an area of the northwestern coast of present-day oregon from the mouth of the columbia river south to tillamook. ==language== clatsop in the original language is la t cap, which means "place of dried salmon".(lÄ'k!Älak, "dried salmon", boas, franz) apparently clatsop was originally the name of a single settlement. the clatsop dialect used by the tribe is a nearly-extinct dialect of the lower chinookan language. most clatsops spoke chinook jargon and some spoke a dialect of nehalem, by the time lewis and clark's corps of discovery made contact with them.(holton, j. r., chinook wawa, 2004) chinook jargon is a trade language, and was once used throughout much of the pacific northwest. many place names in the area come from the chinook jargon, for example, neakahnie mountain &mdash; "the mountain", and ecola creek and park &mdash; "whale". ==history== the tribe was encountered at the mouth of columbia in 1805 by the lewis and clark expedition. the expedition named their last encampment fort clatsop after the tribe, whose nearest village was approximately seven miles (12 km) away. the tribe later gave its name to clatsop county, oregon. according to the journals of william clark, the clatsop comprised about 200 people living in three separate villages of large cedar-plank houses. clatsop members regularly visited the fort for trading purposes. the tribe has never been organized hierarchically (under "chiefs") but individual families affiliated with one another in small villages and seasonal camps located near food sources. the clatsop shared salmon, berries, and hunting tips with the corps of discovery. in contrast to the corps' interactions with the plains indians the previous winter, their interaction with the clatsop was more limited. the two groups did not mingle for social occasions and the fort was opened to trading only 24 days during the winter. part of the reason may have been the existing relationship between the british and the coastal chinook tribes, resulting in a demand by the chinook for higher prices for their goods at a ti
Chinookan_tribes Confederated_Tribes_of_Siletz_Indians Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Northwest_Plateau Native_American_tribes_in_Oregon Oregon_Coast