The Chelan [šəlæn] Salish man known as Cultus Jim, in north-central Washington state, was evidently known for his clear expression of Indigenous land title, in Chinuk Wawa.

Another of the now well known Chinuk Wawa words that Prof. Franz Boas was the first to document in print is t’úʔan, which now means ‘to have, keep’.

A contradiction in terms, the way this article about Jargon & the courts tells it!

A curious little list is given to us by JMR Le Jeune in his “Chinook Rudiments” of 1924, on pages 8-9.

Our friend, the linguist Dale McCreery, posted a neat observation on the big Facebook “Chinook Jargon” group…

We keep a file of Chinook Jargon-related poetry from oldtime newspapers…

Can we bring forensic linguistics into a historical dispute? Let’s try!

Wuht naika wawa marsi kopa Dale McCreery, yaka t’lap pi mamuk-nanich ukuk kopa nesaika.

One neat variation on our “party invitations and menus in Chinook Jargon” file is a 1910 dance card!

Our amazing free “Snass Sessions”, now 5½ years old, are growing up! We’re moving them away from early Saturday mornings to Thursday evenings! They’re on Zoom. To get the link, just email me:… Continue reading →