Saya (Athabaskan) people in California

[Alan H. Hartley]

David Robertson wrote:

> John P. Harrington's 1943 article "Pacific Coast Athabaskan discovered to 
> be Chilcotin" [sic!] is in the J Wash Acad Sci 33(7):203-213.
> 
> In it he implies the Saya people (another name for the Nongatl in NW 
> California, related to the Hupa) got that name from Chinook Jargon's word 
> for "far off".
> 
> Anyone here know if that's true?

The Hdbk of N. Amer. Indians (8.203) says "Powers (1877:124) stated that 
Noan'-kakhl was a Wailaki name for the Sai-az (Nongatl) while Merriam 
(1923:276) asserts that the Wiyot gave him the word Si'-az as the name 
"for a Wilakke tribe in the Middle Eel River region". The Hupa used the 
term Saia (sa:ya:) for the Nongatl when speaking to Whites (Goddard 
1910:410); alternative spellings from nineteenth-century sources are 
Siaws, S-yars, Siahs, and Sians."

Alan

To respond to the CHINOOK list, click 'REPLY ALL'.  To respond privately to the sender of a message, click 'REPLY'.  Hayu masi!