Kroeber and Oregon

[David Lewis]

Klahowya-
Today I was browsing through _Yurok Narratives_ by Robert Spott and A.L.
Kroeber and encountered a few more jargon words.

226- "kamuks" translated as 'bastard' , this word has remarkable
similarities to mamook. Does anyone have a theory on this one?

249-
"In front went dentalia (tsik).Next were the small dentalia (tseihkeni
tsik); then the dentalium beads (terkutem) . Behind these were the haliotis
(yer'erner), and then the little clamshells (sekse) which are sewn on
women's dresses."

"tsik" obviously is 'cheek' or 'chik'.

250- "small dentalium ...tseihkeni tsik"
"Dentalium (being)... Tisktsik"

There is also many interesting accounts of "dentalium home
"...  "Tsiktsikol" which is "far to the north".
I think this could be Vancouver Island as another account talks about
"across the ocean."

In addition, I was very interested in seeing many Indian places referred to
by placenames similar to the word 'Oregon.' In the Yurok area there are
these place names beginning with O:
Oregos
Osegen
Omen
Orekw
Oketo
Oleget
Oplego
Otsepor

I think it is entirely likely that when the first non-native travellers
came northward, maybe Spanish missionaries or Spanish conquistadors, that
they heard names such as these as being in the north and named the northern
land 'Oregon.' Or even that this was the original name for the lands north
of the Tolowa-Karok and Yuroks. I would have to look into Yurok language
but I think this is just as plausible an explanation as others I have seen.
I do not have a copy of _Oregon Geography Placenames_  and maybe it would
be a good idea to revisit this subject.
David


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               David Lewis
         P.O. Box 3086
Eugene, OR 97403, USA
541.684.9003  Cell 541.954.2466
talapus at kalapuya.com, coyotez at darkwing.uoregon.edu,
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~coyotez
http://www.kalapuya.com
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~coyotez

Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Oregon
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