Chinook Jargon is the only living descendant of “Nootka Jargon”.

The north-central Washington state Salish chief known as Moses (1829-1899) was obviously talking Chinuk Wawa at the “Indian Jubilee” of 1897.

Something that often comes up in the old Chinook newspaper is an ability to see what’s funny in a negative experience.

Christmas-themed, if you squint 🤣

The action here takes place at the Duwamish Tribe’s temporary place of exile, Seattle’s Ballast Island. “Indian Camp on Ballast Island” (image credit: Duwamish Tribe) (Ballast Island is not to be confused with Ballard.)… Continue reading →

Explaining new religious ideas to Native people involved trying to use their languages…

The Chinook Jargon in the post-frontier article from southern interior BC didn’t need to be translated to be understood.

From early Settler days in southwest Oregon, specifically from the Rogue River War, comes a new meaning of “skookum house”.

Song #3 from Myron Eells’s little book, “Hymns in the Chinook Jargon Language“, 2nd edition (Portland, OR: David Steel, 1889):

The loaded headline “LOST TRIBE OF INDIANS” introduces a long article reprinted from the Portland Oregonian in the early post-frontier era.