"Eulachon" among the Kwakwaka'wakw

Sun Oct 1 19:32:17 UTC 2006

 Along the Lower Fraser, spelling varies - oolichan, eulachon, oolichen, etc - and among fishermen is almost exclusively pronounced "hooligan".

Byram and Lewis, in the Oregon Historical quarterly a couple of years back, argue that "Oregeon" owes its name to oolichan, in a roundabout way. 

t 

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Terry Glavin

 transmontanus.blogspot.com
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  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Thomas R. Speer 
  To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG 
  Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 8:04 PM
  Subject: "Eulachon" among the Kwakwaka'wakw

  As a young man in the late 1960s, I had the privilege of enjoying Eulachon oil in the company of Kwakwaka'wakw chiefs and elders at 'Yalis (Alert Bay Reserve, Cormorant Island, B.C.)  These are the First Nations whom the Whites collectively called "Kwakiutl", a corruption of the name of the Fort Rupert Band.

  Chief Peter S. Smith, Sewidanakwula, of the Tlawitsis Band of Kalokwis (Turnour Island, B.C.) was our host.  We had it as thick gravy served over boiled potatoes.  Although it had a very strong aroma, it was delicious!

  Chief Peter Smith pronounced it `OO-lah-kun.  He also called it "Tleena", the Kwakwaka'wakw name in their Kwakwala language.  People also refer to it as "Grease".  The famous "Grease Trail" on Vancouver Island was the trade route overland for trading this precious commodity.

  Is the name "Eulachon" originally a Tsinuk (Chinook) word, or was it brought into the Chinook trade jargon like many words of foreign origins?  I would be curious to know.

  Hayu masi!

  Lakw'alas
  Tom Speer
  Duwamish Tribal Services Board
  Seattle

  James Crippen <jcrippen at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
  This is only tangentially related to Chinook Jargon, but I think it's
  the best place to ask this question. I'm interested in the "eulachon"
  fish (Thaleichthys pacificus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eulachon),
  also occasionally known as the "candlefish". It's the little
  herring-like smelt fish that has cream-colored flesh and is extremely
  oily. It is traditionally processed for its oil which was used in
  trade along "grease trails" up and down the coast. I believe the name
  comes from CJ. But the name for this fish, has a few different
  regional pronunciations in English in the PacNW. In Alaska where I
  grew up it was pronounced "hooligan", as with the British soccer fans.
  I'm curious about its pronunciation elsewhere along the coast, and the
  different ways people write it.

  Hayu masi,
  James Crippen

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

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