CHAPTER XIII. 
THE WAI’-LAK-KI, ETC. 
In the Wintin language wai signifies “north,” and lakki “tongue,” 
hence “people.” So these are the North People. But they do not speak 
a language in any way related to the Wintiin; and are therefore another 
instance of a California tribe bearing a name given them by a neighbor. 
There is a certain mystery attaching to this tribe. They live along 
the western slope of the Shasta Mountains, from North Eel River (above 
Round Valley) to Hay Fork; along Eel and Mad Rivers, extending down 
the latter about to Low Gap; also on Dobbins and Larrabie Creeks. Hence 
they are not north of the Wintun at all, as their name indicates, but west of 
the Sacramento Wintiin and sowth of the Trinity Wintan. The Wailakki 
proper, belonging to the Wintiin nation, and whose name corresponds to 
their geographical location, live on the Sacramento above Red Bluff. 
As remarked, they have a Winttin name (their own name for them- 
selves is Ken’-es-ti), and there are two names of places, Ketten Chow and 
Ketten Pum (these should be spelled Hetten), which are drawn from the 
Wintiin language within their domain. These geographical terms lying 
within their territory show that they must have displaced the Wintiin at 
some former time; and their own language being related to the Hupa shows 
that they probably came from the north. Is it not possible therefore that 
they may have received their present name from the Wintiin while they 
were yet to the north of them? This supposition explains the origin of 
their name, and I see not how else it can be explained. 
On linguistic and other grounds I am inclined to believe that the 
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