NOVEMBER 18:

1994 Quebec government officially shelves Hydro Quebec's $13.3-billion Great Whale powerdam project after lobbying by Quebec Crees and a softening of the US power market.

In 1978, California congressman Leo J. Ryan and four other people were killed in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the People's Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide by 912 cult members.

Standard time, invented by Sir Sandford Fleming, was adopted in Canada 118 years ago today, in 1883. The rest of the world adopted Fleming's system at an international conference in Washington in 1884

November 18, 1785:  Today Principal Cherokee Chief Old Tassel, and many other Cherokee arrived at Hopewell to discuss a treaty with the United States.
 

November 18, 1805:  Clark meets Chinook Indians.

November 18, 864: The Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza is dedicated by the Maya.

BACKGROUND:
 

From http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/chi.html
 
 

The Chinook Indians, relatives to the Clatsop tribe, lived in the Northwest along the banks of the Columbia River and the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The Chinooks were superb canoe builders and navigators, masterful traders, skillful fishermen and planters. They lived in large wooden plank houses and slept on reed mats over raised boards.

Short in stature, the Chinooks also were characterized by flat foreheads and pointed craniums. William Clark wrote of their attire: "all go litely dressed ware nothing below the waist in the coldest weather, a pice of fur around their bodies and a short robe composes the sum total of their dress, except a fiew hats, and beads about their necks arms and legs."

In late 1805, as the Corps of Discovery began to make its way down the Columbia River after crossing the Rocky Mountains, they were told by the Nez Perce Indians that the Chinooks living down the river had a different culture and language than anything the Corps had encountered. The Nez Perce chiefs also warned the captains of a rumor that the Chinooks intended to kill the Americans when the expedition arrived. Clark, however, commented, "as we are at all times and places on our guard, [we] are under no greater apprehention than is common."

The Chinooks were accustomed to European goods and white traders, so their first encounters with the expedition were peaceful. On October 26, 1805, two Chinook chiefs and several men came to the expedition's camp to offer gifts of deer meat and root bread cakes. The captains responded by presenting the chiefs with medals and the men with trinkets. Other Chinook villages along the banks of the river offered similar receptions to the Americans as they approached the Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the Columbia River.

During these encounters, however, the Corps struggled with what Clark termed "the protection of our Stores from thieft." This became such a problem with the Chinooks in the area that the captains had to restrain some of the men from instigating fights with the Indians. As Clark noted, "it [is] necessary at this time to treat those people verry friendly and ingratiate our Selves with them, to insure us a kind and friendly reception on our return."

The Chinooks on the Upper Columbia were a factor in the Corps' decision of where to spend the winter of 1806. Wary of their neighbors and mindful of the more plentiful game to the south, the Corps decided to spend the winter on the south side of the river, where the Clatsops lived, rather than on the north bank among the lower Chinookan bands.

During their stay at Fort Clatsop, the Corps depended on the local Indians for food. But the Chinooks and the Clatsops charged what Lewis and Clark considered unreasonable prices, and the captains were unhappy with this practice, along with the thefts. Visits by the Chinooks to Fort Clatsop were limited, and the Indians were not allowed to stay in the fort overnight. Both captains' journals noted low opinions of the Chinookan customs and appearance.

Lewis met with one of the Chinook chiefs, who blamed the trouble on a select few and reassured the captain that on the whole, his village wished for peace. After the meeting, Lewis wrote, "I hope that the friendly interposition of this chief may prevent our being compelled to use some violence with these people; our men seem well disposed to kill a few of them."

Tensions were eased only temporarily, however, when a couple of weeks later some Chinooks further up the river stole a saddle and a robe from the Corps. After Lewis ordered a search of the village, the stolen goods were found, and the Corps passed the falls of The Dalles and returned to Nez Perce country without having fired at a native.
 

*****
 

From http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_1099000/1099968.s tm
 

US recognises Chinook tribe

By Ian Gunn in Vancouver A tribe of Indians in the US has been granted official recognition after more than 20 years of appealing.
 
 

A glorious day for us

Chinook tribal chairman Gary Johnson The Chinook tribe, which lives south of Seattle, in Washington State, is noted for helping some of the first European explorers who arrived in the region, with food and information.

The 2,000 members of the tribe will now be eligible for more government money and the chance to apply for reservation lands near their traditional home.

"It's a historic day and a glorious day for us," said Chinook tribal chairman Gary Johnson at a ceremony at the Interior Department.

"We're just really excited, because our grandmothers and our grandfathers and our families have worked for this day for so long."

When famed explorers Lewis and Clark emerged onto the US' northern Pacific coast almost 200 years ago, they met the Chinook Indians.

The small tribe soon became prolific traders and a version of the Chinook language became the standard trading language throughout the region, well into what is now Canada.

But for all that, the Chinook were never officially recognised by the US government. They signed a treaty in the 1850s but it was never ratified.

A long wait

In 1981 they asked for official modern status as Indians. But after considering the request for 16 years, the US government said no.

The Chinook appealed against that preliminary ruling, claiming a large portion of their paperwork had been quite literally lost in a government desk drawer.

And now, in his final act in office, the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Kevin Gover, has admitted the tribe has suffered a long-standing injustice at the hands of the US government.

Mr Gover has officially recognised the Chinook as a tribe and an Indian nation - the 562nd tribe to be recognised in the US.

In a separate announcement, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has also admitted accidentally leaving the names of three other tribes in the region off their official list of tribes for many years.