554 REPORT—1890. 
(1888) the connection between the Tinneh tribes east and west of the 
mountains is explained ; and in the Smithsonian report of Dr. Gibbs on 
the West Washington tribes, that accomplished ethnologist has given his 
reasons for holding that the Salish formerly resided east of the mountains, 
and have made their way thence to the Pacific, driving before them or 
absorbing the original inhabitants.! To this intrusion and conquest are 
doubtless due the many Salish dialects, or rather ‘ dialect-languages,’ 
differing widely in vocabulary and grammar, which have been evolved 
(like the Romanic languages of Southern Europe or the modern Aryan 
languages of Hindustan) in the process of this conquest and absorption. 
A remarkable evidence is found in the case of the Bilhoola (Bilqula) 
tribe and language. This tribe, belonging to the Salish family, is wholly 
isolated from the other septs of that family, being completely surrounded 
by Kwakiutl tribes and Tinneh, into whose territory it has apparently 
pushed its way. Asa result its speech has undergone so great a change 
that by some inquirers it was at first supposed to be a totally distinct 
language. A still more striking instance of a mixed language, though 
not belonging to the Salish family, is furnished by what is now termed 
the Kwakiutl-Nootka stock. Until Dr. Boas last year visited the Nootka 
people and carefully analysed their language, it had been supposed by all 
investigators, himself included, to be a separate stock, radically distinct 
from all others. The analysis now furnishes clear evidence of a connec- 
tion between this idiom and the more widespread Kwakiutl. The 
connection, however, is so distant, and the differences in vocabulary and 
grammar are so important, that we are naturally led to suspect here also 
a conquest and an intermixture. The Nootka tribes who inhabit a - 
portion of the west coast of Vancouver Island, and who were so named 
from a harbour on that coast, have been more lately styled by good 
authorities the ‘Aht nation’ from the syllable aht or ath, meaning 
‘people’ or ‘tribe,’ with which all their tribal names terminate— 
Nitinaht, Toquaht, Hoyaht, Seshaht, Kayoquaht, &e. Their speech, 
though in certain points resembling the Kwakintl, has yet, to a large 
extent, its own grammar and vocabulary. It seems probable that we 
see in it the case of an originally distinct stock, which at some early 
period has been overpowered and partially absorbed by another stock 
(the Kwakiutl), and yet has subsequently pursued its own special course 
of development. The comparison of the two languages, as now presented 
by Dr. Boas, offers, therefore, a particularly interesting subject of study. 
All the languages of British Columbia of every stock have a peculiar 
pkonology. Their pronunciation is singularly harsh and indistinct. 
The contrast in this respect between these languages and those immedi- 
ately south of them is very remarkable and indeed surprising. As the 
point is one of much interest, I may venture to quote the remarks on 
this subject with which (in my work before cited) the account of the 
‘Languages of North-Western America’ is prefaced :— 
‘The languages of the tribes west of the Rocky Mountains may be 
divided into two classes, which differ very strikingly in their vocak 
elements and pronunciation. These classes may be denominated the 
northern and southern, the latter being found chiefly south of the 
Columbia, and the former, with one or two exceptions, on the north 
of that river. To the northern belong the Tahkali-Umqua (or Tinneh), 
' See page 224 of the report referred{to in the preceding note. 
