BULL. 30] 



SALISHAN FAMILY 



417 



was not within Salish territory. From 

 that time until 1846 most of this region, 

 known as the Oregon Territory, was a 

 subject of dispute between Great Britain 

 and the l^'nited States, and it was not un- 

 til after its settlement and until the Cali- 

 fornia gold fever had somewhat subsided 

 thatsettlers began to come intothis region 

 in numbers. On the Canadian side em- 

 ployees of the Hudson's Bay Company 

 were among the first to enter the country. 

 The establishment of a post at Victoria in 

 1843 was one of the most momentous 

 events to the Indians of the entire coast. 



The coast Salish form the southern arm 

 of the N. W. Coast culture, which fades 

 away southward from Bute inlet and 

 Comox (where it resembles that of the 

 more highly develoi)ed Kwakiutl) to the 

 semi-Californiau Tillamook and tlie Nes- 

 tucca of Oregon. Unlike the more north- 

 ern Haida,Tlingit,andTsinishian, descent 

 is usually reckoned through tlie father. 



The Salish dwellings in the northern 

 part of this area are of the Nootka type, 

 longer than those farther n. , and contain- 

 ing several fauiilies each with its own fire. 

 They are also built in the same way of 

 heavy planks and beams. They resemble 

 the other coast tribes in the important 

 part fish and shellfish play in their diet, 

 and in the extent to which canoes are 

 enrployed. The interior Salish depended 

 more on hunting, but so many large sal- 

 mon streams flow through this country 

 that even they were more given to a fish 

 diet than were the interior tribes gener- 

 ally. The houses of the interior Salish of 

 British Columbia differed considerably 

 from those on the coast. To construct 

 them, holes were dug and poles set up in 

 conical formaround their edges; thewhole 

 w'as covered with poles on which was laid 

 grass, and sometimes cedar bark, and 

 over all earth was tlirown. 



"War, slavery, and the potlatch (q. v.) 

 were regular institutions on the coast. 

 One of the most characteristic customs, 

 especially prevalent along the coasts of 

 Washington and British Columbia, was 

 artificial head-flattening, but it did not 

 obtain, curiously enough, among the In- 

 dians now called Flatheads ( see SalisJi ) . 



Population (1909): Coast Salish in 

 United States, 3,600; coast Salish in Can- 

 ada, 4,874; total, 8,474. Interior Salish 

 in United States, 4,988; interior Salish in 

 Canada, 5,390; total, 10,378. Total Sahsh 

 in United States, 8,366; total Salish in 

 Canada, 10,264; grand total, 18,630. 



The Salishan dialects may be grouped 

 as follows: 



I. Dialects of the interior: 1, Lil- 

 looet in w. British Columbia; 2, Ntlakya- 

 pamnk (Thompson Indians) in s. w. Brit- 

 ish Columbia; 3, Shusunp in s. central 



3456°— Bull. 30, pt 2--07 27 



British Columbia; 4, Okinagan in s. e. 

 British Columbia, exten(hng into the 

 United States, the subdivisions of which 

 are the Okinagan proper, Colville, Nes- 

 pelim or Sanpoil, Senijextee (Snaichek- 

 stik) of the Arrow lakes and Columbia r. 

 below the lakes; 5, F/allwdil in e. Wash- 

 ington, Idaho, and Montana, subdivisions 

 of which are the Spokan, Kalispel or 

 Tend d'Oreilles, and Salish or Flathead; 



6, Skilsirisli or Creur cV AUnes in n. Idaho; 



7, Coliuiibia groujts in the w. part of the 

 interior of Washington, including the 

 Pisquow or Wenatchi, Sinkiuse, Methow, 

 and other local divisions. 



II. Coast dialects: 8, Bellacoola, a 

 group of tribes on Bentinck Arm and 

 Deans inlet, Brit. Col.; 9, Comox group 

 on the N. part of the Gulf of Georgia, 

 with two subdivisions — ('/) the Comox 

 proper, including the Comox and Keksen, 

 Homalko, Kaiike, Kakekt, Seechelt of 

 Jervis inlet, Sliammon, audTatpoiJs; and 

 (6) the Puntlatsh, including the Hwah- 

 watl, Puntlatsh, and Saiimen; 10, Coiri- 

 chan group in the neighborhood of Nan- 

 aimo on Vancouver id., and in the delta 

 of Fraser r. It embraces, on Vancouver 

 id., the Clemclemalats, Couiiakin, Hel- 

 leit, Kenipsim, Kilpanlus, Koksilah, 

 Kulleets, Lihnalche, Malakut, Nanaimo, 

 Penelakut, Quamichan, Siccameen, Sno- 

 nowas, Somenos, Tateke, Vekolaos; and, 

 in the Fraser valley, the Chehalis, Chil- 

 liwack, Coquitlam, Ewawoos, Katsey, 

 Kelatl, Kwantlen, Matsqui, Mus(jueam, 

 Nehaltmoken, Nicomen, Ohamil, Pilalt, 

 Popkum, Samahquani, Scowlitz, Se- 

 wathen, Siyita, Skwawalooks, Snonk- 

 weametl, Squawtits, Sumass, and Tsa- 

 kuam; 11, S(juair)aisli, group, including 

 the Squawmishof Burrard inietand Howe 

 sd. and probably the Nooksak of n. Wash- 

 ington ; ] 2, Songish group, on Juan de Fuca 

 str., San Juan id., and parts of the coasts 

 of Washington and British Columl>ia. It 

 includes the Clallam (Wasii.), Lummi 

 ( Wash. ), Samish ( Wash. ), Sanetch ( Brit. 

 Col.), Semiahmoo ( Brit. Col. and Wash. ), 

 Songish (Brit. Col.), Sooke (Brit. Col.); 

 13, NisquoHi group, embracing all tribes 

 E. of Puget sd. and s. to JNIt Tacoma, and, 

 on the west side, the region up to Olym- 

 pia, except Hood canal. It includes two 

 dialectic divisions, the Nisiiualli and the 

 Snohomish. Well-known divisions are 

 the Nisqualli proper, Dwaniish, Puyal- 

 lup, Skagit, Snoqualmu or Snoquamish, 

 and Squaxon. Following are the names 

 of some of the numerous bands of the 

 Nisqualli: Etakmehu, Kwehtlmamish (?), 

 Nukwatsamish, Nusehtsatl, Potoashees, 

 Sahewamish, Sakumehu, Samamieh, 

 Sawamish,Sekamish,Shomamish,Shotle- 

 mamish, Skihwamish, Skopamish, Smul- 

 kamish, Squacum, Stehtsasamish, Steila- 



