Tag Archive: kanakas

Townsend’s narrative: Bird Chief and the Indian dogs

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J.K. Townsend.  1839.  Narrative of a journey across the Rocky Mountains, to the Columbia River…  Philadelphia: Henry Perkins. At least in the Chinook Jargon world, this book by an influential naturalist is an… Continue reading →

“Kanaka(s)” in old newspapers

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It’s often been noted with interest that Chinook Jargon, and 19th-century English in the greater Northwest, both had a word specifically for Pacific Islanders: kanaka.  There were plenty of Islanders out here at the… Continue reading →