SIUSLAWAN (LOWER UMPQUA) 



By Leo J. Frachtenberg 



§ 1. DISTRIBUTION AND HISTORY 



The Siuslawan stock embraces two closely related dialects — Lower 

 Umpqua and Siuslaw — that were spoken by the people living on the 

 lower courses of the Umpqua and Siuslaw rivers, in the southern part 

 of Oregon. Their northern neighbors were the Alsea Indians^ (whom 

 they called Hani's hlic^), on the east they came in contact with the 

 Kalapuj'a (chiefly the Yonkalla tribe, known to them as the Qa^'xgax)^ 

 and on the south they were contiguous to the Coos ( Qu'yax). The terri- 

 tory of the Lower Umpqua was bounded on the north b}^ Five Mile lake, 

 on the south by Ten Mile lake, while on the east they claimed the whole 

 region adjoining the Umpqua river as far as Scottsburg. The posses- 

 sions of the Siuslaw Indians extended as far south as Five Mile lake, on 

 the north they bordered on the Yahach river, and eastwards they 

 extended as far as Mapleton. Thus it may safely be assumed that 

 these two dialects were spoken in the western parts of what are known 

 today as Lane and Douglas counties. No information pertaining to 

 the previous strength of these two tribes could be obtained. Their 

 numbers have been so greatlj^ reduced, that, besides the four indi- 

 viduals who served as my informants, and the two or three Siuslaw 

 Indians said to be living near Florence, Lane county, there are no 

 other members living; and since these people no longer converse 

 in their native tongue, the Siuslaw family may be looked upon as an 

 extinct linguistic stock. 



1 One of the two members of the Yakonan family. 



2 For explanation of alphabet see pp. 443, 444. 



441 



