Unidentified language in Sir Francis Drake's Nova Albion journal (1579)

[Dave Robertson]

LhaXayEm!

Can any of you help identify the indigenous language quoted in Sir Francis Drake's Nova Albion journal (1579)?

Here are four very brief quotations:

-"the herbe tabah...bagges of Tobah"

-"the root petah, whereof they make a kind of meale, and either bake it into bread, or eate it raw"

-"their Hioh or king" (also "Hyoh")

-"Gnaah, by which they intreated that we would sing"

Here is a link to a URL containing Drake's text transcribed:

<http://www.mcn.org/2/oseeler/WE.htm>

which is part of

           *** Sir Francis Drake ***
    ~ an international educational resource ~
    http://www.mcn.org/2/oseeler/drake.htm
    ~ recommended by The History Channel ~

Thanks to M. Cleven for bringing this to my attention.

Dave Robertson

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