Indigenous Languages of Washington State
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages
Coast Salish Languages
Coast Salish languages are part of the greater Salishan language family and are the predominate Indigenous languages spoken in western Washington and southwestern British Columbia. The Coast Salish language family includes two dozen languages, as well as many other distinct dialects (cited below).
Lushootseed
Lushootseed
Lushootseed (aka dxʷləšúcid, txʷəlšucid, Whulshootseed, Puget Sound Salish or Skagit-Nisqually) is a major branch of the Coast Salish language family. It is also the Indigenous language spoken most often in the Puget Sound region. Tribes that speak a dialect of Lushootseed include:
- Puyallup
- Nisqually
- Snohomish
- Sauk-Seattle
- Duwamish
- Skagit
- Puyallup Tribal Language ProgramIncludes information on the history of the Lushootseed language, language revitalization, online classes, and resources for the language learner.
- Lushootseed, the Language of Puget SoundFrom the Tulalip Tribes of Washington,
- Lushootseed ResearchIncludes information about the Lushootseed language and language learning resources.
Websites
Websites & Online Resources
- Coast Salish Languages - ArcGIS StoryMapsThis interactive map shows the distribution of the fourteen Coast Salish languages spoken in the early 19th century.
- Coast Salish people & languages - Burke MuseumProvides a short introduction on Coast Salish people and languages, with a detailed interactive map
- Halq'eméylem language resourcesLanguage resources for the Central Coast Salish language Halq'eméylem, which is spoken in British Columbia.
Audiovisual resources
Huchoosedah: Traditions of the heart Z(DVD) by Call Number: Library Film Collection: PM2261 .H83 2011Chronicles the efforts of Vi Hilbert, a 77-year-old Upper Skagit tribe member, to preserve her people's traditional language, Lushootseed. Includes interviews with other members of the Upper Skagit tribe and presentations of several stories and legends important to the Upper Skagit culture.
Sources used on this page:
1. The Burke Museum. (n.d.). Coast Salish people & languages. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/culture/contemporary-culture/coast-salish-art/ coast-salish-people
Books
Featured Books
Elders dialog: Ed Davis and Vi Hilbert discuss Native Puget Sound language, culture and heritage by Call Number: Main Collection E99.S25M53 2014Two esteemed Elders speaking Lushootseed and English discuss a range of topics dealing with family, events, language, ritual, and heritage near Seattle and around Native Puget Sound.
The Snoqualmie-Duwamish dialects of Puget Sound Coast Salish by Call Number: Main Collection PM2262.T9Publication Date: 1950
E-books
Tellings from our elders: Lushootseed syeyehub by Call Number: OnlinePublication Date: 2015Rich in cultural and linguistic information, the traditional stories of the Coast Salish contain the keys to cultural revitalization.
Tellings from our elders. Volume 2, tales from the Skagit Valley by Call Number: OnlinePublication Date: 2015
Dictionary of Upriver Halkomelem by Call Number: OnlinePublication Date: 2009An extensive dictionary (almost 1800 pages) of the Upriver dialects of Halkomelem, an Amerindian language of B.C.,giving information from almost 80 speakers gathered by the author over a period of 40 years. Entries include names and dates of citation, dialect information, phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic information, domain memberships of each alloseme, examples of use in sentences, and much cultural information.
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