BULL. 30) 



NIPOMA NISKA 



75 



Eliot (1059) quoted by Drake, Bk. Inds., bk. 2, 

 80, 184M. Nipnet— Eliot (1649) quoted by Barber, 

 Hist. Coll., 570, 1841. Nipnett— Dudley (1631) in 

 N. H. Hist. Soc. Coll., IV, 2Jt), 1S;54. Nopnat.— 

 Writer of lfi47 quoted by Drake, Kk. Inds., bk. 2, 

 18, 1848. 



Nipoma. A former Chumashan village 

 near Santa Inez mission, Santa liarbara 

 CO., Cal. (Taylor in Cal. Farmer, May 4, 

 1860) . Perhaps the same as Nipomo. 



Nipomo. A former village under San 

 Luis Obispo mission, 8 m. inland from 

 San Luis Obispo, Cal. Perhaps the same 

 village ( Nipoma) given by Taylor as near 

 Santa Inez mission. 



Ni-p6-m6. — Schumacher in Smith.son. Rep. 1874, 

 342, 187.5. 



Niquesesquelua. A Chumashan village 

 on one of the Santa Barbara ids., Cal., 

 probal)lv Santa Rosa, in 1542. 

 Miquesesquelna— Wlieeler >Surv. Rep., vir, 311, 

 1S79. Nisquesesquelua. — Cabrillo (1.542) in Smith, 

 Colec. Doe. Fla., 186, 1857. 



Niquipos. A Chumashan village on 

 either Santa Rosa or Santa Cruz id., Cal., 

 in 1542. 



Niquipos.— Cabrillo (1.542) in Smith, Colec. Doc. 

 Fla., 181, 1857. Nquipos.— Taylor in Cal. Farmer, 

 Apr. 17,1863. 



Nirdlirn. A summer settlement of the 

 Kingnaitmiut subtril)e of the Okomiut 

 Eskimo on the x. coast near the head of 

 Cumberland sd., Baffinland. — Boas in 6th 

 Rep. B. A. E.,map, 1888. 



Nisal {N'lml). A division of the Chi- 

 nook tribe formerly residing on Nasal r.. 

 Pacific CO., Wash. 



GiLa'lelam.— Boas, Chinook Texts, 260, 1894 (own 

 name). Nasal.— Swan, N. W. Coast, 211, 1857. 

 Nisal.— Boas, op. cit. 



Niscak ('bustard')- A tribe or divi- 

 sion mentioned with other Algonquian 

 tribes of the region between L. Superior 

 and Hudson Ijav in the Prise de Possession 

 ( 1671 ) in Perrot, Mem., 293, 1864. They 

 were perhaps a gens of the Ottawa. 



Nishinam (from 7iise)ia)}l, 'our rela- 

 tions'). The southern branch of the 

 Maidu, occupying the valley of Bear r., 

 Cal. While this portion of the iSIaidu 

 is in some ways distinct from the north- 

 ern branches, all of this family are so 

 similar in every respect that even without 

 the fact of the complete linguistic unity 

 which they represent it would seem 

 illogical to separate them. The Nishinam 

 divisions and villages, which were once 

 populous and numerous along Bear r., are 

 as follows: Dirii^iims — Koloma, Pusune, 

 Vesnak, and Wapumne. YilhKjoi — Bush- 

 amuljChuemdu, Hamitinwoliyu, Intanto, 

 Kaluplo, Kapaka, Lelikian, Lidlipa, Mu- 

 lamchapa, Opelto, Pakanchi, Pulakatu, 

 Shokumimlepi, Shutamul, Soiakiyu, Ta- 

 lak, Toanimbuttuk, and Yokolimdu. See 

 Maidn, Pnjunan Family. (r. B. D. ) 



Nishinam.— Powersin Cont.' N. A. Ethnol.. ni, 282, 

 1877. Nis-se-non. — Merriam in Science. N. S., 

 XIX, 914, 1904 (or, Nishinam). Tainkoyo.— Cur- 

 tin, MS. vocab., B. A. E., 188.5. Tanko.— Di.xon, 

 inf'n, 1903 (northern Maidu name: probably 

 from ?«(', 'west': Tai-iibi,. 'having the west'). 

 Tankum.— Chever in Bull. Es.sex Inst. 1870, ll, 28, 

 1871. 



'Sishtnwek\xlsnshtTn3.{NI^-cfu-we-^i'(l^-t<i'ir- 

 tun). A former village of the Chastacosta 

 on Rogue r., Oreg. — Dorsey in Jour. Am. 

 Folk-lore, iii, 234, 1890. 



Nisibourounik. Oneof the fourdivisions 

 of the Cree.— Jes. Rel. 1658, 22, 1858. 



Niska. The dialectic name for one of 

 the three Chimmesyan divisions, the 

 other two being the Kitksan and the 

 Tsimshian. In tradition, art, and manner 

 of living these three divisions are closely 

 allieil, with such geographic differences 

 as would naturally occur. In language 

 less than one-third of the vocabulary is 

 common to all, a like proportion varies 

 in accent, while the remainder is different 

 and more local in character. Dialectic 

 differences are much le.ss marked l)etween 

 the two interior river divisions than be- 

 tween either of them and the Tsimshian 

 of the coast. 



The territory of the Niska includes Ob- 

 servatory inlet, Nass bay, and the drain- 

 age basin of Nass r. and its tributaries, 

 but those northern sources that interlock 

 with the Iskoot and the Stikine rs. are 

 claimed also by the Tahltan, and over this 

 contention have occurred many wars that 

 have always kept these people apart. The 

 Niska villages have always been on the 

 main river ami show evidence of consid- 

 erable size. The houses, in a single row, 

 follow the contour of the shore; they are 

 built of hewn tiinVjers in the form of a 

 parallelogram, with a central open fire- 

 place of gravel, and a smoke-hole in the 

 roof. Carved heraldic columns stand in 

 front, in which the crest of the deceased 

 is shown at the ba^^e and tliat of the suc- 

 cessor at the top, and in one old village 

 grave-houses of logs surmounted by ani- 

 mal and bird forms in wood and stone, 

 representing the totemic eml)Iems of the 

 dead, rest on the river ))ank in the midst 

 of the columns.. 



With the estal)lishmentof missions the 

 older villages have generally been de- 

 serted and the people are being concen- 

 trated at three points, under the super- 

 vision of missionaries of the Church of 

 England, and small modern dwellings 

 are taking the place of the old communal 

 house. Modern ideas prevail, and the 

 condition of the people is a credit to 

 both their teachers and themselves. 

 The villages, past and present, together 

 with the more important village sites, are: 

 Kincolith, Kitaix, Lakkulzap or Green- 

 ville, Gwinwork, Lakungidaor Ankeegar, 

 Kisthemnwelgit or Willshilhtumwill- 

 willgit.Cjunahhair, Kitwinshilk,Sheaksh, 

 Aiyansh, Kitlakdamix, and Kitwinlkole. 

 Other town names have been given, as 

 follows, but these, wholly or in part, may 

 duplicate some of the above: Kitahon, 

 Kitangata, Kitlakaous, and Andeguale. 



The Niska were divided geographically 

 into the Kitkahteen ( ' people of the lower 



