1889: Tales of Okanogan Smith and his “klooch”

A man who married into the Similkameen band of Syilx a.k.a. Okanagan Salish people issued another in our collection of Chinook Jargon event invitations.

Hiram Smith was one of the first post-fur-trade permanent Settler / colonizers in what’s now the border country of central Washington and British Columbia.

Hiram F. “Okanogan” Smith, circa 1829-1893 (image credit: Ghost Towns USA)

Here we see “klooch“, borrowed from Chinook Jargon łúchmən into local English, always referring to Indigenous women: 

…[Hiram F.]
“Okanogan” Smith, an old timer who is
one of those pioneers that appear to nat-
urally belong to the locality in which they
live, and who always figure prominently
in newly settled districts, some years ago
became enamored with a dusky beauty,
and the ultimate result was that the two
became one. A numerous family was the
result of the union, and a few weeks ago
Smith, in order to commemorate some
family event, built a cosy log cabin for his
dusky spouse. and issued the following
unique invitation to bis friends to the
housewarming:

“Okanogan Smith and his klooch invite
Ten’as George and his klooch and a few
other klooches of the Okanogan to attend
a grand ball to be given at Mary Smith’s
house.’

— from “Tales of the Okanogan”, in the Spokane Falls (Washington Territory) Review of May 2, 1889, page 3, column 4

Tenas George (image credit: Find A Grave)

“Ten’as [Little] George” is the contemporaneous local Settler “Tenas” George Williamson Runnels, 1835-1917.

ikta mayka chaku-kəmtəks?
What have you learned?