Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1892-12-30
RAINIER OR TACOMA.
Name of the Great Mountain Dis
cussed by Van Trump.
Cor. Tacomian.

cussed by Van Trump.
I Cor. Tacomian.
l have recently read in the Sunday
Oreqonian your correspondents dis.
cussiOn of the mooted question OF
Rainier VS.. Tacoma, and your editorial
comment, in which you say that the
name of Tacoma as applied to our
mountain was the invention of Win
throp, and was never heard on the
shores of Puget Sound prior to his
use of il.
There will probably be for long
time to come Rainier party and a
Tacoma party, at least as long as a
rivalry exists between the aspiring
cities of Tacoma and Seattle; nor is
opposition in the new State to the
modern nomenclature confined to Se-
attic by any means, for large num-
ber of its inhabitants use and prefer
the time-honored name OF Rainier, and
are disposed to honor the brave Van
couver in recognizing his right to the
naming of his early discovery: The
advocates of the new name, however,
are yearly increasing in number, and
the time is possibly coming when the
historic name Rainier, will be dropped
from print, if not from oral usage.
The principal argument used in favor
OF " Tacoma" is that it is the Indian
name of the mountain, and that it is
more euphonious and appropriate.
But is it the Indians name for the
mountain?. Among the latter genera
ton of Indians who have in large
measure become civilized and who
have adopted the speech and nomen-
clature OF the whites, the mountain
may sometimes be called Tacoma, but
1 venture to say that no one has ever
heard the name 30 pronounced by any
of the old chiefs, whose memories run
back anterior to the advent of the
white man on the shores of the
" Mediterranean of the Pacific" Win
throp's name may be regarded as
corruption of the Indian name of the
mountain, rather than pure inven-
ton. 1t is impossible to so spell the
word as to give it the deep, gutteral
and withal the musical sound the In
dian does.
The first Indian heard pronounce
the name of the mountain was old
Sluskin, who guided General Stevens
and myself to the snow line, where
we make the first ascent to the sum
nit in 1870. Sluiskin's pronunciation,
as near as can represent it by letters,
was Tah-ho.mah, and in his rendering
of it there was, besides its music, an
accent of awe and reverence, for
Sluiskin was very imaginative and
superstitious about Tahoma, believing
that its hoary summit was the abode
OF a powerful spirit, who was
the author oil its eruptions and
avalanches, and who would visit dire
vengeance upon any mortal who
would invade Gf that were posslbleJ
his dread abode. When Stevens and
l were encamped at the foot of the
snow line we would often be awakened
by the thunder of falling rocks or
the deep thud of some avalanche. At
such times Sluiskin would start from
his blanket and repeat dismal, dirge-
like song, as though he would appease
the mountain spirit. Mishell Henry.
another old Indian guide to the two
named mountain, prides himself in
giving its true name and its correct
pronunciation. He has several times
drilled me in pronouncing it, always
smiling gravely and dignifiedly at my
Intellectual efforts to give his deep
chest notes. Henry was first to mark
out the present route to the snow line
and even ascend it for two miles with.
out leaving the saddle. He guided
our party (the Bayley party) in 1883,
and himself ascended to the 5000 level.
Beyond that nothing could tempt
him, for beyond Gn his view lay dan.
ger, folly, rashness. For even Henry
who is intelligent and much more oil
philosopher than the rest of his
tribe (Khikatals) associates the summit
of Tahoma with awe, danger and mys-
terry. Your correspondent gives the
meaning of Tacoma" as "The Noun
ain," an interesting Interpretation,
considering the pre-eminence and
grandeur of this noble peak. I have
questioned the Indians as to- their
meaning of the word Ta-ho-mah. The
answer of some showed their ignor.
ance of the meaning. Others, with
that reticence and suspicion peculiar
to the savage mind, were stoicially
non-committal. One Interpretation l
have heard given is nourfshinp
breasts" the idea presumably being
that the eternal SHOWS OF the twin
SUBMITS have given origin to the
streams and have occasioned the gla.
cial deposits that have enriched the
valleys. thus nourishing and sustain.
ing vegetable life there, just as through
the ages the maternal breasts have
nourished and sustained youthful hu
man life. fin the end we are doomed
to Danish the historic name of Rainier
which our boyhood and the old geog
raphies made dear and familiar to us
and must adopt the Indian name, lei
us apply to the mountain the true In
dian appellation and not the modern
corruption of it, which is not near AZ
musical and sonorous as the original
THE smallest republic in the world
is said to be Franceville, one of the
islands of the New Hebrides. The
inhabitants of this miniature self