Description
The Multnomah are a tribe of Chinookan people who live in the area of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. Multnomah villages were located throughout the Portland basin and on both sides of the Columbia River. The Multnomah people are a band of the Chinookan peoples who originally resided on and near Sauvie Island in Oregon. The Multnomah and the related Clackamas tribes lived in a series of villages along the river near the mouth of the Willamette River on the Columbia River. In 1830, a disease generally thought to have been malaria devastated the Multnomah villages. Within five years, the village of Cathlapotle was abandoned and was briefly inhabited by the Cowlitz tribe. The Multnomah people had nearly been wiped out by the year 1834 due to malaria and smallpox outbreaks.
Language
The Multnomah people spoke the Wasco-wishram language.
Culture
The Multnomah homes were built using western red cedar planks. The size of the house depends on the wealth of the owner, with large houses providing living space for up to 100 people. Inside each house were individual private rooms separated by mats woven by specific families. Each family had its own fire, and families also shared a communal central fire within the home. Multnomah's diet included salmon, eels, sturgeon, elk, waterfowl, and especially wapato (a marsh-grown plant like a potato or onion). Each family had its own fire, with the families also sharing a communal central fire in the household.