Learn more about Ichishkíin/Sahaptin
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Two names?... Sahaptin, one name for the language, has been said to mean “Stranger” (J. Meninick, p.c.). Sahaptin is the academic name, and is traced by Rigsby to the Moses-Columbia Salish word sħaptənəxʷ ‘Nez Perce’ (Rigsby, as cited in Beavert & Hargus, 2009, p.xix). It feels odd to use “stranger” to describe one’s own language, so this word is often dispreferred. Ichishkíin is the language of the land, recognizing the integral link between the people and the place.
Rigsby, Bruce. (2009). The Origin and History of the Name "Sahaptin." In Virginia Beavert and Sharon Hargus (eds.), Ichishkíin Sɨ́nwit Yakama/Yakima Sahaptin Dictionary, xvii-xxi. Toppenish and Seattle: Heritage University and University of Washington Press.
Online Dictionary
This resource is a comprehensive, online dictionary of Ichishkíin words and grammatical information, with exemplifying audio. Softcover and hardcover editions also available.
authors: Virginia Beavert & Sharon Hargus (2009)
Learn more about how the Ichishkíin dictionary was written.
- Slide presentation by Prof. Sharon Hargus
Lingua Franca
Chinook Jargon was likely the lingua franca, or “go-between language” among the tribes present at the signing of the 1855 treaty. Chinook Jargon is known to have borrowed from a number of languages of the Columbia River Valley, possibly including Sahaptin/Ichishkíin. The Yakama leader, Chief Kamiakin, was known to be multilingual and may have spoken this language.
Portrait of Yakama Chief Kamiakin. Ca. 1840. General Subjects Photograph Collection, 1845-2005, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov
Dialects of Sahaptin
All living languages have dialects, i.e., mutually-understandable forms of the language with minor differences in pronunciation or accent, vocabulary, and sometimes word-formation rules and sentence structure. Click on this box for more information regarding writings on the dialects of Sahaptin.
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