"Our Indian Names: The Nomenclature of Washington Territory"

[David Robertson]

...by [Reverend] M[yron] Eells, Spokane (Washington) _Spokesman - Review_,
December 2, 1888, page 6:

...Siwash, Stevens county, is the Chinook jargon word for Indian, and is a
corruption of the French word "sauvage," for savage.

Kumtux, Whitman county, is a Chinook jargon word, meaning to know or
understand.  The Nootka word is kommetak, the Clayoquot word kemitak, and
the Tokwaht word kumituks.

[Dave notes:  Both these towns are unknown to me; are they now gone?
Especially when I see Jargon names in Whitman county, just south of
Spokane, I wonder whether they're quite old, from a time when
whites tried to speak the Jargon to all Indians, even those who like the
southeast Plateau people who may have known rather little of it.]

...Skookum Chuck, Thurston county, is from Chinok Jargon, and means
"strong or swift water."  Skookum comes originally from the Chehalis word
sku-kum, strong and chuck, water, from the wor[d] Ti-tsuk, in the old
Chinook language, which in Nootka is Chauk, and Clatsop, Ti-chukw.

Skookum bay, Mason county, has the same origin and was given to the bay
because the tides rush through it with great swiftness.

Tumwater, Thurston county, is a Chinook-jargon word meaning "waterfall."
It originated from the English word "water" and "tum" by onomatapolia
[sic], as the sound of the waterfall reminded people of that sound.  So
"tumtum," the word in the same language for heart, was given to it because
of the noise of the beating of the heart, which reminded them of such
sounds.

...La Push, Clallam county, is a Chinook jargon word and means "mouth,"
meaning at that place the mouth of the river.  It comes from the French,
"La Boos" [sic].

Tatoosh, Clallam county, is also a Chinook jargon word and means "milk" or
"breast."  It is originally from the Chippeway word "to-tosh."

...La Camas, Clarke county, is the Chinook jargon name for an esculent
root.  It comes from the French "la" and the Nootka word "chamass" which
Jewett says means "fruit, sweet, pleasant to taste."





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