Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, or, Trade Language of Oregon

by George Gibbs

~S.~

~Ságh-a-lie~, or ~Sah'-ha-lie~, adj. Chinook, SAKHALI; Clatsop, UKHSHAKHALI. Up; above; high. Saghalie tyee (literally, the chief above), God. A term invented by the missionaries for want of a native one.

~Sail~, or ~Sill~, n. English, SAIL. A sail; any cotton or linen goods. Mamook sail, to make sail; mamook keekwillie sail, to take in sail; tzum sail, printed cloth or calico. ~Sa-kol'-eks~, or ~Se-kol'-uks~, n. Chinook, TSAKÁLUKS, leggings. Trowsers; pantaloons. Keekwillie sakoleks, drawers. ~Sal-lal'~, n. Chinook, KLKWUSHALA. (SHELWELL of Lewis and Clarke.) The sallal berry; fruit of gualtheria shallon.

~Salmon~, n. English, idem. The salmon; fish generally. Tyee salmon, i.e., chief salmon, the spring salmon (salmo kwinnat, Rich.); masahchie salmon, a winter species (salmo canis, Suckley); tzum salmon, salmon trout.

~Salt~, n., adj. English, idem. Salt, or a salt taste. Salt chuck, the sea. ~Sán-de-lie~, n., adj. French, CENDRÉ. Ash-colored. (Anderson.) A roan horse; roan-colored.

~Sap'-o-lill~, n. Chinook, TSÁPELEL. Wheat, flour, or meal. Piah sapolill, baked bread; lolo sapolill, whole wheat. The word has been erroneously supposed to come from the French la farine. It is, however, a true Indian word, and seems common to various Columbia river tribes. Pandosy gives SAPLIL as Yakama for bread; Lewis and Clarke write it CHAPELELL.

~Se-áh-host~, or ~Se-agh'-ost~, n. Chinook, SIÁKHOST, the face. The face; the eyes. Halo seahhost, blind; icht seahhost, one-eyed; lakit seahhost (four eyes), or dolla seahhost, spectacles.

~Se-áh-po~, or ~Se-áh-pult~, ~n.~ French, CHAPEAU. A hat or cap.
Seahpult olillie, the raspberry.

~Shame~, or ~Shem~, n. English, idem. Shame. Halo shem mika? arn't you ashamed of yourself?

~Shán-tie~, v. French, CHANTER. To sing.

~She-lok'-um~, n. Chinook, TSHAILAKUMIT. (Anderson.) A looking-glass; glass.

~Ship~, n. English, idem. A ship or vessel. Stick ship, a sailing vessel; piah ship, a steamer; ship-man, a sailor.

~Shoes~, n. English, idem. Shoes; skin shoes; moccasins. Stick shoes, boots or shoes made of leather.

~Shot~, n. English, idem. Shot; lead. Shot olillie, huckleberries.

~Shu'-gah~, or ~Shu'-kwa~, n. English. Sugar.

~Shugh~, n. Chinook, SHUKHSHUKH. A rattle. An imitation doubtless of the sound. (Anderson.) Shugh-opoots, a rattlesnake.

~Shut~, n. English, SHIRT. A shirt.

~Shwáh-kuk~, n. Chihalis, SHWAKÉUK. A frog.

~Si-áh~, adj. Nootka, SAIÁ. Far; far off. Comparative distance is expressed by intonation or repetition; as, siah-siah, very far; wake siah, near, not far. Jewitt gives SIEYAH as the sky in Nootka, which was perhaps the true meaning, or, more probably, they called the sky "the afar."

~Si-am~, n. Chinook, ISHAIEM. The grizzly bear.

~Sick~, adj. English, idem. Sick. Cole sick, the ague; sick tum-tum, grieved; sorry; jealous; unhappy.

~Sikhs~, or ~Shikhs~, n. Chinook, SKASIKS; Sahaptin, SHIKSTUA.
(Pandosy.) A friend. Used only towards men.

~Sin'-a-moxt~, adj. Chinook, SINIMAKST. Seven.

~Si'-pah~, adj. Wasco. (Shaw.) Straight, like a ramrod. Of only local use.

~Sis'-ki-you~, n. Cree. (Anderson.) A bob-tailed horse.

This name, ludicrously enough, has been bestowed on the range of mountains separating Oregon and California, and also on a county in the latter State. The origin of this designation, as related to me by Mr. Anderson, was as follows. Mr. Archibald R. McLeod, a chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, in the year 1828, while crossing the mountains with a pack train, was over-taken by a snow storm, in which he lost most of his animals, including a noted bob-tailed race-horse. His Canadian followers, in compliment to their chief, or "bourgeois," named the place the Pass of the Siskiyou,—an appellation subsequently adopted as the veritable Indian name of the locality, and which thence extended to the whole range, and the adjoining district.

~Sit'-kum~, n., adj. Chinook, SITKUM (Anderson); Clatsop, ASITKO. A half; apart. Sitkuni dolla, half a dollar; sitkum sun, noon; tenas sitkum, a quarter, or a small part.

~Sit'-lay~, or ~Sit'-li-ay~, n. French, LES ETRIERS. (Anderson.) Stirrups.

~Sit'-shum~, v. Chihalis, idem. To swim.

~Si'-wash~, n., adj. French, SAUVAGE. An Indian; Indian.

~Skin~, n. English, idem. Skin. Skin shoes, moccasins; stick skin, the bark of a tree.

~Skoo'-kum~, or ~Skoo-koom'~, n., adj. Chihalis, SKUKUM. A ghost; an evil spirit or demon; strong. Skookum tumtum, brave; skookum chuck, a rapid.

~Skwak'-wal~, n. Chinook, SKAKULH (Anderson); Clatsop, SKAKOLI. A lamprey eel. Of local use only.

~Skwis'-kwis~, n. Chinook, Cathlamet dialect. A squirrel.

~Sla-hal'~, n. Chinook, ETLALTLAL. A game played with ten small disks, one of which is marked.

~Smet'-ocks~, n. Chihalis, SMETTAKS. The large clam (Lutraria). Used only at the mouth of the Columbia river.

~Smoke~, n. English, idem. Smoke; clouds; fog; steam.

~Snass~, n. Quære u. d. Rain. Cole snass, snow. The word is neither
Chinook nor Chihalis, and is perhaps manufactured.

~Snow~, n. English, idem. Snow.

~Soap~, n. English, idem. Soap.

~So-le'-mie~, n. Chinook, SULAMICH (Anderson); Clatsop, SHÖLBE. The cranberry.

~Sol'-leks~, or ~Sah'-leks~, n., adj. Quære u. d. Anger; angry. Mamook solleks, to fight; tikegh solleks, to be hostile; kumtuks solleks, to be passionate.

~So'-pe-na~, v. Chinook, T'SOPENA. To jump; to leap.

~Spo'-oh~, or ~Spo'-eh~, adj. Chinook, idem. Faded; any light color, as pale blue, drab, &c. Chahko spoeh, to fade.

~Spoon~, n. English, idem. A spoon.

~Spose~, conj. English, SUPPOSE. If; supposing; provided that; in order that. Spose mika nanitsh nika canim, if you see my canoe; spose nika klatawa kopa Chinook, if or when I go to Chinook; kahkwa spose, as if. See KLOSHK SPOSE.

~Stick~, n., adj. English, idem. A stick; a tree; wood; wooden. Stick skin, bark; ship stick, a mast; mitwhit stick, a standing tree, icht stick, a yard measure; stick shoes, leather shoes or boots, as distinguished from skin shoes or moccasins; kull stick, oak (hard wood); isick stick, the ash (paddle wood).

~Stock'-en~, n. English. Stockings or socks.

~Stoh~, adj. Chinook, idem. Loose. Mamook stoh, to untie; unloose; undo. Metaphorically, to absolve.

~Stone~, n. English, idem. A rock or stone; bone; horn; the testicles.
Stone kiuatan, a stallion; mahsh stone, to castrate.

~Stote'-kin~, adj. Chinook, STOKTKIN. Eight.

~Stutch'-un~, n. English, STURGEON. The sturgeon.

~Suk-wal'-al~, n. Chinook (Hale); Clatsop, SHUKWALÁLA, a gun or musket. No longer used in Jargon.

~Sun~, n. English, idem. The sun; a day. Tenas sun, early; sitkum sun, noon; klip sun, sunset.

~Sun'-day~, n. English, idem. Sunday. Icht Sunday, a week; hyas sunday, a holiday. A flag hoisted on a particular occasion is sometimes also called Sunday. The other days of the week are usually counted from this; as, icht, mokst, klone sun kopet Sunday, one, two, or three days after Sunday. Saturday used to be called at the Hudson's Bay Company's posts "muckamuck sun," food day, as the one on which the rations were issued.