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Tag Archives: monsters
Coosan words for lizards
There were three words given in Hanis for ‘lizard’: ika’chos (ɨgá’čǝs), yigát’sos (yɨgát’sǝs), and chommillii (čǝmmɨ´lli). It’s been rather confusing to sort them out, for not only do they appear to describe different species but at least one seems wholly … Continue reading
Posted in Vocabulary comparisons, vocabulary words
Tagged ethnozoology, Hanis, Milluk, monsters, mythological beasties and wonders
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Sea Serpents
Sea Serpents appear in stories around the world – and not only in the ocean but in large lakes as well, perhaps most famously of contemporary ‘lake monster’ stories is “Nessie” of Loch Ness. All along the Pacific Northwest coast, … Continue reading
The Hollering Monster
First posted 4/26/18 Nok’élehe: the-person-that-halloos, the hollerer, the thing that hollers. The word is the same in both Hanis and Milluk, based on the verb k’el-or k’al-; to holler, to yell. The story of the nok’élehemight be one of the most-told stories recorded … Continue reading
The Five Shadows
First published 9/27/17 Linguist Leo Frachtenberg came to Oregon just over a century ago, and worked with speakers of Hanis (Jim Buchanan, Frank Drew, Tom Hollis), Lower Umpqua/Siuslaw (Louisa and William Smith) and Alsea (William Smith). One of the stories … Continue reading
The Young Man Who Stepped on Snail’s Back
First published October 30, 2012. Annie Miner Peterson told the story of ‘The young man who stepped on Snail’s back’ some time in 1933 or 1934 in Milluk, and Melville Jacobs published it on page 54-56 of “Coos Narrative & … Continue reading
“The Two Nouskilli Women”
This story was first posted October 2016. In Frachtenberg’s work with Jim Buchanan, he translated nuuskilii as ‘giantesses’ or ‘the big women’, and he included three stories of them in his book “Coos Texts” (see sidebar). Frachtenberg got alternate versions in … Continue reading
Pitch-Dress Ogress
This story was first posted in April 2013. I’ve added a little more material from that first post. Nuusgili (or nuusgili) is a Hanis and Milluk word that has been translated variously as ‘giantess’ or ‘ogress’. There is not much in the … Continue reading
Wild Beings of the Wood
This was first published 2/4/13. The eshon (rhymes with the English word ‘ashen’) was a dangerous entity that lurked in lonely places in the hills. They are distinct from the Giant People/Forest people written about yesterday, as they are not regarded as malevolent. … Continue reading
The Forest People
First published February 2, 2013. I’ve edited it slightly. Legends of giant hairy humanoids are told around the world. The Oregon coast has its own traditions. Our ‘bigfoot’ is not exactly identical to the popular modern legends. They do agree … Continue reading
Shuutlits (Forest Fires) and the Willanch Monster
This was first posted October 13 2015. I’ve edited a little from the original. For millennia, coastal Oregon Indian people often set fires to manage the landscape to encourage the growth of desired plants– annually in camas and tarweed (Madia) fields, and … Continue reading
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