Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-09
THE CHINOOK INDIAN.
Curious Facts Relating to the Aborfgfnes
of Washington.

One of the most interesting facts in
connection with this country. saws a
Tacoma correspondent of an exchange,
is the retention of the early In
dian names that were originally ap-
piled to its rivers and valleys. The
Indians of Washington are related by
many ties of blood and association to
all the tribes of the Canadian north
west. Each tribe has its own peculiar
language and customs, but they all
speak Chinook. Tradition saws that
Chinook was invented a century ago
by a Canadian-Scotch half breed, in
whose veins ran so many different
strains of Indian blood, affording him
such a variety of red relations that he
was, forsooth, compelled to get I'D a
language of his own that they all might
be able to understand. So he took a
little Blackfoot. mixed it with a trife of
Crow, seasoned it with bad French.
worked in a Dundee accent, and called
it Chinook. LIE provided that the male
Indian should be known as a Siwash
and the female Indian as a Klootch-
man, and as the Siwashes and the
Klootchmen worked themselves west
ward and over the country thew car
ried this invented language with them
and established it throughout the north
west. There are hunters and trappers
and lumbermen who can make them
selves well understood through Chi
nook everywhere they go. In the dis
tant backwoods they are squaw men
that is, white men who have taken In
dian wives-who have really forgotten
their mother tongue and can now speak
nothing but Chinook. The Indian
proper names SO plentifully scattered
over Washington are all Chinook names
and originally possessed some peculiar
significance. Snowqualmie, for in
stance, meant crowned with snow"
Skagit was the name of the wildcat.
Stillquamish signified ''quiet water"
Nooksack meant north of the noun
tain" Nesqually meant south of the
mountain" These and MANY other
names, some of them picturesque in
their significance and beautiful in their
sound, are now preserved as the names
of particular geographical features.
Okinagane, ''soft and deep" is the
name of a lake. Yakima, white peb-
bles;" Wenatchie, swiftly running"
are names of mountain streams.
Almost all of the counties of the
state are called by names derived from
Indian stories. Tacoma was the name
of a tribe, Seattle that of a great chief,
and when the white people determined
to call their town after him his tribe
came in a body to the common council
and begged them to refrain. Their re-
quest involved a long explanation of
their religious beliefs, from which it
appeared that they were worshippers
of their ancestors and that the dead
Seattle was to them a great god. They
believe that every time his name was
mentioned he turned in his grave. I
can but feel as if, under these circum-
stances, their request should have been
granted, for if they really believe that
the old man is revolving every time
the word Seattle is said reflections quite
too horrible for expression must be
continually arising in their minds. To
think of a majestic, naughty Indian
chieftain whirling in his tomtom like a
buzz-saw is certainly anything but
agreeable to those whose religion CON
sists in expressions of reverence for his
memory.