The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-06
THE sALIsHAN LANGUAGE.


A photography of the Salishan family of
languages, by ]. C. Pilling, has just been
published by the bureau of ethnology at
Washington City. 1t contains . COM
pleie list of ali books, pamphlets, articles
In magazines, tracts. serials and the like.
and also such reviews and announcements
of publications rs seemed worthy of no.
tice which refer to this family of lam
guages, and contains eighty-six octave
pages Ii Is the eighth in this series OF
photographers, the last one having refer
ence to the Chinookan family. The others
refer TO the Eskimo, Siouan, Iroquoian,
Muskhogean. Algonquin and Athapas-
can families.
The Salishan family includes nearly all
the languages in Western Washington.
except the Makah, Chemakum and
Quiliyhute, extends south to the Siletx
and Tillamook of Oregon, east to Mon
tana. north to the fifty-third parallel of
latitude and west to the Pacific ocean,
though ii does not include all of the
Indian languages within these limits, as
some other families are sand wiched inside
of these boundaries, as the Yakimas and
Neg Perces. The greater part, however.
of the Indians Of this state speak some
some dialect Of this family. II includes
forsy-eight languages or dialects, promi-
nent among which are the Snohomish,
Nisqnally. Puyallup, Chehalis, Cowiitz,
Clailam, Duwamish. Quinaieit. Skagit,
Skokomish, Spokane, C1ur d Alene, Flat
head. okanogan, Kalispel. Lummi. Lilo
wat, Belacoola, Cowichan, Thompson
river and Siletz-
Three hundred and twenty titles are re-
corded, of which 80 relate to printed
work and the rest to manuscripts. The
author says that few families Of languages
on the Northwest coast have been studied
as we'll as this one. Among those who
have studied these languages have been
travellers. missionaries and scholars. one
hundred and fifteen in number. the two
former and part of the latter studying
them on the ground and the rest working
up the material thus gathered at their
homes. both in the United States and
Europe. Prominent among these students
have been +. Boas, A. s. Gat.chet and j.
w. Powell, of Washington; u. @. Brinton,
of Philadelphia; T. s. Buimer. OF Utah !;
q. NJ. Dawson and III. Hale. of Canada;
X. w. +. Toimie. late of Victoria !;
q. Latham, OF England: J. q. Shea, late of
New York; j. II. Wiekersham, of Tacoma !;
J. G.. Swan. of Port Townsend; III. r.
Sehoolcraft, the late DR.. g. Gibbs and Com
modore Wilkes. The principal Catholic
| missionaries have been J. NJ. Il. LeJeune,
| G. Mengarini. j. b. Boiduc, J. b. Boulet.
| +. c. Chirouse, +. i. s. J. Petitot, l.. n.
| 81. onge, p. J. De Smet. and j. Giorda !:
and the principal Protestant ones,
| J. =. Good aud {. NJ. Tate, OF
| British Columbia; F. f. Wilson.
| of Canada and NJ. Eells OF this state.
| The only Indian writer seems to be s. K.
| McCaw, of the Puyallap tribe. The frst
| person referring 20 any of these languages
| was Sir Alexander Mackenzie, after whom
| Mackenzie river was named, between 1850
| and 1893. He wrote about the Atna and
| Friendly Village Indians. An early writer,
| J. h Townshend, 1875, spells Puyallup
| Poo-yal-aw-poo; nuwamish, Tough-no-wa-
| mish, and Tvana, Too-w anne-noo. while
| two other writers spell the latter To-an-
| huch.
| J. h. Wickersham has written about 90
| manuscript pages of words, definitions,
/ legends, names and the like about the
| N!squalIy language. lie intends to keep
on with the work until he shall have a
| complete vocabulary of il, history Of the
| people. their legends, myths form of gov
| eminent and the like. so that il will form
very important part Of the history of
/ this state.
Bishop Darieu and Father Le Jeune. Of
| British Columbia. have published consid-
/ cradle in shorthand, which the Iadisns
| have learned to read quite easily. Fac
| SMILES Of the first page Of three OF their
/. pamphlets are giyen-'DuFieu's Skwamish
| Prayers. vie Jeune's Thompson Prayers"
and "kamloops Wawa" Chinook all in
horthand. The only other fac simile
| given is the title page of f, Walker AMI c.
| Eelis' Spokane primer, published In 1872
Il Is said TO De the shird book published
| vest Of the Rocky mountains, and was
| printed OF the first press brought 10 the
country. Only one OF these books COM
| p3e'e Is known to re in existence. and that
Is in the library OF the Pacific University,
/ Oregon.
It's Mr. Pilliug's intention 20 follow M
his WORK until he has published biblio-
| rraphtes OF all the native languages o!
| North America AYRos ERLIS