Cayoosh/Cayuse/Kiyoose again.....

[Mike Cleven]

terry glavin wrote:
>
> dunno.
> what do the standard placenames texts say?

I'd forgotten I own a copy of the Akriggs now, but it's still not that
helpful

"A variant of cayuse, a word widely used to refer to an Indian pony.
The story goes that one day an Indian from Mt. Currie rode to Lillooet
on horseback and that his horse dropped dead at what is now Cayoosh
Creek."

Worth mentioning here that the topography between Mt. Currie and
Lillooet and the region's climate makes this story believable;
exhaustion could definitely kill a horse given the terrain.  Sounds like
a lakeshore ride, though, and not through the pass (today's Hwy 99).
But still no hint on the etymology or original language for "cayuse".

The Akriggs give some novel spellings for Lillooet as recorded in
reference to the Lillooet people:  Lilowit and Littlewhite.....
MC