Author Archive

Another Indigenous language that preserves old Chinuk Wawa’s name for “Saturday”

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There’s this one interesting word in Lower Chehalis Salish…

1916 (WW1) cartoon: Yes, Jeff is very fond of Bob Service’s poems

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A nationally syndicated cartoon strip making a reference to World War One backs up my recent point that Robert Service’s poetry of the Klondike was hugely popular…

1872: “Letter written by an Indian Chief” at Grand Ronde

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Without preamble, a local newspaper published what it called a “Letter Written by an Indian Chief”, in recognizably local Chinuk Wawa. You talkin’ about me?: T.H.B. Odeneal (image credit: Levi Odeneal page) The… Continue reading

Lower Chehalis ‘fast; hurry’ ~~ Chinuk Wawa ‘fast; hurry’

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One word in Lower Chehalis Salish (an ancestor language of Chinuk Wawa) has 2 uses…

Deadline next Monday: Can you solve this quiz?

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At our friend Peter Bakker’s excellent LingoBlog, there’s a quiz you might want to try solving 😁

1878, Thurston County Fair, WA: Hyu snass…

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Unique spellings! Yay!

1879 [1853?]: A southwest Oregon “Indian war”

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On the Rogue River of southwest Oregon, a Settler group heading to hunt gold in California has a violent run-in with tribal people.

1917 or earlier: Cheechako = Chicago!

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Apparently I’ve yet to write about this folk-etymology of a Chinook Jargon phrase…

1883: Hyas close ictas at Mattoon’s

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One of several ads for a western Oregon store in the late frontier era was in Jargon:

1913: Potato(es) Illahee is BC Chinuk Wawa

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From the British Columbia town that soon moved & renamed itself to Prince George…