1887, SW WA: The potlatch of Deaf George, Lower Chehalis
Here’s a fella who was well remembered a half-century later in the community.
Deaf [di:f] George was a Lower Chehalis Salish man, and here you see him connected with Chinook Jargon in the later part of the frontier era.
“Believed to be Deaf George [Kwis’-ho] and Princess Patty [Kwee’hal-eetsa]” (image credit: Flickr)
Mind you, the CJ here didn’t have to be translated for the readers. Know what I’m saying?
Deaf George, an Indian employed by
W. R. Marion, of Bay Center, for the
past twelve years, had extensive pre-
parations made for giving a “hiyou
potlatch” about May 1st, but owing
to sickness among Indians of Quinalt,
it will be postponed until August. It
will be held at Georgetown, where a
house 40×60 feet has been built on
purpose for dancing and holding other
festivities. George has purchased $250
worth of presents, consisting of trunks,
blankets, shawels [shawls], beads and other
“ictas;” also four kegs of sugar,
several boxes of hard bread, flour, etc.,
and this together with $250 in coin he
will distribute among his friends.
Among the entertaining things con-
templated, will be the barbecue of two
beeves, six days’ dancing, in the most
approved Siwash form, horse racing,
canoe racing, and other sports only
known to the untutored mind of the
savage. It will be a big thing for
Georgetown as 500 to 700 Indians from
all over Southwestern Washington
will be there. George has just re-
turned from Quinalt and reports a
great deal of sickness.
— from the Olympia (WA) Washington Standard of May 6,1887, page 1, column 8
- hiyou potlatch = háyú pá(t)lach = ‘give away lots of things’
- ictas = íktʰa-s = ‘thing-s; valuable’
- Siwash = sáwásh = ‘Native’
