﻿134 
  INDIAN 
  LINGUISTIC 
  FAMILIES. 
  

  

  Derivation: 
  From 
  yakwina, 
  signifying 
  "•spirit"' 
  (Everette). 
  

  

  The 
  Yakwina 
  was 
  the 
  leading 
  tribe 
  of 
  this 
  family. 
  It 
  must 
  have 
  

   been 
  of 
  importance 
  in 
  early 
  days, 
  as 
  it 
  occupied 
  fifty-six 
  villages 
  

   along 
  Yaquina 
  River, 
  from 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  Elk 
  City 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  ocean. 
  

   Only 
  a 
  few 
  survive, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  with 
  the 
  Alsea 
  on 
  theSiletz 
  Reser- 
  

   vation, 
  Tillamook 
  County, 
  Oregon. 
  They 
  were 
  classed 
  by 
  mistake 
  

   with 
  the 
  Tillamook 
  or 
  "Killamucks" 
  by 
  Lewis 
  and 
  Clarke. 
  They 
  are 
  

   called 
  by 
  Lewis 
  and 
  Clarke' 
  Youikcones 
  and 
  Youkone. 
  2 
  

  

  The 
  Alsea 
  formerly 
  dwelt 
  in 
  villages 
  along 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  Alsea 
  

   River, 
  Oregon, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  adjacent 
  coast. 
  They 
  are 
  now 
  on 
  the 
  

   Siletz 
  Reservation, 
  Oregon. 
  Perhaps 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  Grande 
  Ronde 
  

   Reservation, 
  Oregon. 
  

  

  The 
  Siuslaw 
  used 
  to 
  inhabit 
  villages 
  on 
  the 
  Siuslaw 
  River. 
  Oregon. 
  

   There 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  few 
  pure 
  Siuslaw 
  on 
  the 
  Siletz 
  Reservation, 
  but 
  Mr. 
  

   Di 
  irsey 
  did 
  not 
  see 
  any 
  of 
  them. 
  They 
  are 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Drew, 
  3 
  who 
  

   includes 
  them 
  among 
  the 
  " 
  Kat-la-wot-sett" 
  bands. 
  At 
  that 
  time, 
  

   they 
  were 
  still 
  on 
  the 
  Siuslaw 
  River. 
  The 
  Ku-itc 
  or 
  Lower 
  

   Umpqua 
  villages 
  were 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  Umpqua 
  

   River, 
  Oregon, 
  from 
  its 
  mouth 
  upward 
  for 
  about 
  30 
  miles. 
  Above 
  

   them 
  were 
  the 
  Upper 
  Umpqua 
  villages, 
  of 
  the 
  Athapascan 
  stock. 
  

   A 
  few 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Ku-itc 
  still 
  reside 
  on 
  the 
  Siletz 
  Reservation. 
  

   Oregon. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  family 
  based 
  by 
  Hale 
  upon 
  a 
  single 
  tribe, 
  numbering 
  

   six 
  or 
  seven 
  hundred, 
  who 
  live 
  on 
  the 
  toast, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Nsietshawus. 
  

   from 
  whom 
  they 
  differ 
  merely 
  in 
  language. 
  Hale 
  calls 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   Iakon 
  or 
  Yakones 
  or 
  Southern 
  Killamuks. 
  

  

  The 
  Sayiisklan 
  language 
  has 
  usually 
  been 
  assumed 
  to 
  be 
  distinct 
  

   from 
  all 
  others, 
  and 
  the 
  comments 
  of 
  Latham 
  and 
  others 
  all 
  tend 
  in 
  

   this 
  direction. 
  Mr. 
  Gatschet, 
  as 
  above 
  quoted, 
  tinally 
  classed 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  

   distinct 
  stock, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  finding 
  certain 
  strong 
  coincidences 
  

   with 
  the 
  Yakonan 
  family. 
  Recently 
  Mr. 
  Dorsey 
  has 
  collected 
  exten- 
  

   sive 
  vocabularies 
  of 
  the 
  Yakonan, 
  Sayiiskla, 
  and 
  Lower 
  Umpqua 
  

   languages 
  and 
  finds 
  unquestioned 
  evidence 
  of 
  relationship. 
  

  

  GEOGRAPHIC 
  DISTRIBUTION. 
  

  

  The 
  family 
  consists 
  of 
  four 
  primary 
  divisions 
  or 
  tribes: 
  Yakwina, 
  

   Alsea, 
  Siuslaw, 
  and 
  Ku-itc 
  or 
  Lower 
  Umpqua. 
  Each 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   comprised 
  many 
  villages, 
  which 
  were 
  stretched 
  along 
  the 
  western 
  

   part 
  of 
  Oregon 
  on 
  the 
  rivers 
  flowing 
  into 
  the 
  Pacific, 
  from 
  the 
  

   Yaquina 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  down 
  to 
  and 
  including 
  the 
  Umpqua 
  River. 
  

  

  TRIBES. 
  

  

  Alsea 
  (on 
  Alseya 
  River). 
  Yakwi'na. 
  Kuitc. 
  Siuslaw. 
  

  

  1 
  Allen, 
  ed. 
  1814, 
  vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  17:!. 
  3 
  U. 
  S. 
  Ind. 
  Aff. 
  Rept., 
  1857, 
  p. 
  359. 
  

  

  ! 
  Ibid., 
  p. 
  118. 
  

  

  