Whiskey jack, the bird, and high muck

[David Lewis]

>From Dave R.
> A final association:  Though the word "potlatch" is fairly widely known
> still in NW English, probably less so in Oregon and Washington than in BC
> and Alaska, it too has become ever less recognizably Jargon, if not
> less "Indian".

In Reply:
If a word comes into regular English usage, does it become less Indian?
Maybe, if the general public is not educated in the true histories of the
lands they live on. However in indian communities it is not less indian,
because we continue to pass on our histories to our children. This is an
interesting question and maybe a subject that deserves some action on the
part of this listserve, those people who are most interested in finding the
origins of Indian words and restoring CJ to a survivable status. Indeed, I
have found professors here at UO questioning my use of terms like potlatch,
giveaway, gifting, and the like. they do not see these words and ideas as
legitimate in academic writing.
David