origin of "quimnut", "quinnut" => Quinault?

[Theresa Kishkan]

All my handbooks of salmon refer to bluebacks as coho in their third year
(because of their blue-green colour at that point in their life-cycle), when
they weigh several pounds and are prized eating fish. The handliners on my
part of the coast used to fish bluebacks in late winter and spring.

Theresa K.




>Blueback refers to sockeye salmon.  "quinnat" was an early specific epithet
>for chinook salmon (Reference: Scott and Crossman, 1973. "Freshwater Fishes
>of Canada". A variant of quinnat, "tkWInat" (where kW=rounded k, I=stressed
>i), is the term for chinook salmon in mid-columbia sahaptin (Hunn, E. 1990.
>"Nch'i-Wana "The Big River": Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land."
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Deane Osterman
>Kalispel Tribe of Indians
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Mike Cleven [mailto:mike_cleven at HOTMAIL.COM]
>Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 7:47 AM
>To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>Subject: Re: origin of "quimnut", "quinnut" => Quinault?
>
>
>>
>>If "quinnat" derives from "quimnut", then it may not mean anything that
>>"quinnat" suggests the Lower Chinook word for 'chinook salmon':  i-gwanat.
>>When does "saumon quinnat" first appear anywhere?  Franchere's narrative of
>>his experiences on the Lower Columbia first appeared in French, in 1820.
>>And he has "Equannet" there as the Chinook word for salmon.  Henry
>
>
>I'm not sure what language group Quinault belongs to (Salishan, isn't it?),
>but doesn't that seem to be connected?  One website description on this
>nation (which is 404'd) makes mention of a "Blueback Salmon" which only the
>Quinault raised (?); is that a kind of Chinook salmon?  The reason I thought
>of this word is because of its French appearance; I'm not sure how y'all
>across the line pronounce it, though; /kwinalt/ or (a la francaise)
>/keenau'/ or what?  Anyway, "quinault" seems a lot closer to "quinnut" than
>"e-ganat" does....
>
>Actually the one website I managed to get to is one Marv's server:
>http://www.teleport.com/~npaihb/profiles/quinault.html
>and makes mention of a health station operated by the nation at "Kweets,
>WA"; could this be one of those variant forms of "nine" that we were
>discussing before?  And therefore yet another Jargon name on the map.....
>
>As far as early French records of this word go, I'm not sure whether the
>journals of the Comte de La Perouse, who voyaged through the region in the
>days of the rivalry over Nootka Sound; he died down near (or on) Australia
>somewhere, ever made it back to France and if so whether they might have
>been the source of this word (his vessel was shipwrecked); his was a
>scientific expedition which apparently kept extensive detailed records of
>flora and fauna encountered on the voyage (France in this period was rather
>more interested in lopping off heads I'm not sure if he entered Gray's
>Harbour or not but something tells me he did (Terry?); if so, and if any of
>his noted made it back to la France, then "Quinault" seems like a likely
>origin for the French term, especially as it seems there's some association
>between this tribe and a specific variety of salmon; unless this is a
>specifically "canadien" word unknown in France......
>
>MC
>
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Theresa Kishkan
RR1 Site 20 C11
Madeira Park, B.C.
V0N 2H0
(604)883-2377
Red Laredo Boots (1996); Sisters of Grass (2000)

"What secrets do the hills contain in their suede hollows, what mysteries
are lifted from the stones in the unbearable stillness of morning?"