Is this a Chinuk Wawa name?

[David Robertson]

Hi, everyone,

The name Sapellell looks like the indigenous word that became Chinuk
Wawa /saplil/ "flour; bread".  But I'm still curious to learn whether this
occurrence of it is a Sahaptin or Chinookan name on the one hand, or a
Chinuk Wawa name on the other.  I lean toward the former.

--Dave R


On Tue, 3 May 2005 02:19:55 -0700, Leanne Riding <riding at TIMETEMPLE.COM>
wrote:

>I would say yes, Sapellell is definitely Chinuk Wawa. Clark
>mentioned it this way in 1805:
>
>
>"... those beeds the trafick with Indians Still higher up this
>river for roabs, Skins, cha-pel-el bread,  [7] beargrass &c. who in
>their turn trafick with those under the rockey mountains for
>Beargrass, <guarmash> Pashico roots & robes &c."
>
>Note reads: " "Cha-pel-el" is the Chinookan term a-sáblal, "bread"
>(etymology obscure); the term in Chinook jargon is saplíl. It is
>cous, Lomatium cous (Wats.) Coult. & Rose, then new to science. It
>was an important foodstuff in this region and eastward. On the
>return trip in 1806 cous would also become a useful food source for
>the party. Cutright (LCPN), 283–84, 288–89, 370, 373; Hitchcock et
>al., 3:548–49"
>
>November 1. 1805. Journals of Lewis and Clark Expedition Online,
>University of Nebrasca. Accessed 5/3/05. Url omitted due to length.
>
>
>and in 1806:
>
>
>"about 4 oClock P M all the Indians left us, and returned to their
>Village. they had brought with them Wappato, & pashequa roots
>Chapellel cakes, [3] and a Species of Raspberry for Sale, none of
>which they disposed of as they asked Such enormous prices for those
>articles that we were not able to purchase any."
>
>Note [3] reads: "3. Sometimes the men begin it with "sh." It is
>from the Chinookan a-sáblal, "bread," and is cous, Lomatium cous
>(Wats.) Coult. & Rose. Hitchcock et al., 3:548–49. See November 1,
>1805. (Return to text.)"
>
>April 7, 1806. Journals of Lewis and Clark Expedition Online,
>University of Nebrasca. Accessed 5/3/05. Url omitted due to length.
>
>
>There were numerous mentions since whenever Lewis, Clark and their
>men talk about cows in this region they are most likely talking
>about Cous. There was an entry that I can not find right now, where
>it was decribed that the root could be cooked into a "mucilage"
>which improved its taste.
>
>Gabriel Franchere also mentioned it in his journal a few years later:
>
>
>"When we made our first voyage up the [Columbia] river the natives
>gave us square biscuits, very well worked, and printed with
>different figures. These are made of a white root, pounded, reduced
>to paste, and dried in the sun. They call it Chapaleel : it is not
>very palatable, nor very nutritive."
>
>
>In the old CJ books this word is associated with both wheat and (I
>think) with soft texture substances described as 'klimmin' or
>'klimmin-klimmin'. Could be a very nice, feminine name.
>
>I have wondered, is the word for berries, 'olallie', part of this word?
>
>For the Wawa plant word collectors, there is a berry called
>soopolallie (Shepherdia canadensis) which can be whipped into a
>foam which has been called "Indian Ice Cream." It is also called
>soapberry. I don't think that is what the name means though.
>
>
>=( : ] )-[--<
>
>- Leanne
>- homepage: timetemple.com
>
>
>On Monday, May 2, 2005, at 03:28 , David Robertson wrote:
>
>
>Is this Sapellell a Chinuk Wawa name?
>
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