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Category Archives: toponyms
A Milluk name for Siuslaw River?
It’s common for a language group to have its own name for other people and rivers that’s different from what that other people call their own river or themselves. But in the case of the Siuslaw, the word I find … Continue reading
A few Siuslaw place names
It’s leap day, that comes just once every four years. On the last leap day, I wrote about the indigenous name for Camas Valley. Maybe to create a leap year day tradition of writing about place names, I’ll write this … Continue reading
“Place of Pines”: A case of mistaken identity?
There is an old myth that refuses to die that the “Coos” in Coos Bay means either ‘lake’ or ‘place of pines’. I’ve written before as to the likely origin of the place name Coos – probably traces back to … Continue reading
Revisiting Woahink and Cleawox
Three years ago I wrote about the probable Siuslaw language origins of the names Cleawox and Woahink lakes. I just got a new book for a present – Native American Place Names of the United States – and it was … Continue reading
Tenmile Lake
I saw in the newsletter they are talking about getting around to renaming Camp Easter Seals. The tribe printed this article a couple of years ago, but to give people ideas for names I am reposting it here. I’ve modified … Continue reading
Da’nis village: a possible etymology
Out of dozens of place names given in the CLUS languages, some have clear meanings (because the speaker offered a translation); others have etymologies easily figured out. But some are hopelessly opaque. Da’nis village, which was located in North Bend, … Continue reading
Sea Lion Cave
North of Florence, just south of the Heceta Head Lighthouse, is popular tourist attraction Sea Lion Cave. It is said to be the largest sea cave on the west coast. The Sea Lion Cave’s website claims that Captain William Cox … Continue reading
Cape Perpetua
Photo courtesy US Forest Service Cape Perpetua is such a beautiful place on the central coast. And even though it is in Alsea country, it has meaning for our tribes too, when many CLUS people were removed to Yachats. While … Continue reading
Ch’iixuut’ – Threemile Creek
Old Indian Dan, aka Dan Gooksey, aka Dan Quixote. He was a signer to the treaty for the Lower Umpqua people in 1855, and Marge Drew Severy’s grandfather. Driving north from Gardiner, going past the site of the mill … Continue reading
Place name: Tahkenitch
Tahkenitch Lake and Creek at one time was known as Fivemile. Thankfully that dull name did not stick, but the indigenous name remains. Tahkenitch was known as tsaxinich (TSA – HI-nich) or tsaxiinich (TSA-HEE-nich) to the Coos, Lower Umpqua and … Continue reading