The Chinook village served as a key entryway from Shoalwater Bay to the Columbia River. Strong bonds formed between the Namscac and Chinook villages due to their strategic locations along important trade routes. This mutually beneficial relationship grew through intermarriage, generous trade, social events, and shared resources.

The Columbia River Chinook played a vital role in regional trade and were known for their skills. Chinook wawa, a trade jargon that was widely used across the Pacific Northwest, reaching as far as modern-day Canada and California gives evidence of the importance to trade and interaction.

Similar to the Lower Chehalis at Namscac, who prized Columbia River salmon, the Chinook valued Shoalwater-Willapa Bay oysters and other tideland resources. For the Namscac people, Chinook was a large town that offered many important resources, including Chinook salmon and sturgeon. The Chinook town also served as a gateway to other valuable resources like Camus.