Sahaptin language facts for kids

Sahaptin (also called Ichishkin) is a language spoken by Native American tribes in the northwestern United States. It is part of a larger language family called Plateau Penutian. People speak Sahaptin near the Columbia River in parts of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Another language in its family is Nez Perce.

The tribes who speak Sahaptin were often very good with horses. They also traded with other tribes. Some of these tribes were famous for breeding horses. These included the ancestors of today's Appaloosa and Cayuse horse breeds.

The name Sahaptin does not come from the tribes themselves. It comes from the Columbia Salish language. In Columbia Salish, Sħáptənəxw means "stranger in the land." The Wenatchi and Kawaxchinláma tribes used this name for the Nez Perce people. Early European explorers mistakenly used this name for all Sahaptin-speaking people.

Today, Sahaptin is spoken by tribes on reservations in Washington. These include the Yakama, Warm Springs, and Umatilla tribes. It is also spoken in smaller places like Celilo, Oregon. The Yakama tribe's cultural program is working to use the language's traditional name, Ichishkíin Sɨ́nwit. This name means "this language."

Sahaptin Tribes and Dialects

Sahaptin is spoken by different tribes. These tribes speak three main dialects. A dialect is a different way of speaking the same language. These dialects are similar enough that speakers can understand each other.

Northern Sahaptin Dialects

The Northern Sahaptin dialects include:

• Kittitas (also called Upper Yakama)
• Lower Yakama (or Yakama proper)
• Klickitat (also called Klikatat)
  • Upper Cowlitz (or Cowlitz Klickitat)
  • Upper (Mountain) Nisqually
• Wanapum
• Walla Walla
• Palouse (or Palus)
• Lower Snake River groups:
  • Chamnapam
  • Wauyukma
  • Naxiyampam

Southern Sahaptin Dialects

The Southern Sahaptin dialects are also called Columbia River dialects. They include:

• Umatilla (or Rock Creek Indians)
• Sk'in/Skin-pah (or Sawpaw Band)
• Tenino (or Warm Springs bands)
  • Tinainu (or "Dalles Tenino")
  • Tygh (or "Upper Deschutes")
  • Wyam (or "Lower Deschutes," also Celilo Indians)
  • Dock-Spus (or "John Day")

How Sahaptin Sounds

The Sahaptin language has its own set of sounds. These include different consonants and vowels.

Sahaptin Consonants

The Sahaptin language uses many consonant sounds. Some sounds are made with both lips, like 'p' or 'm'. Others are made with the tongue touching the ridge behind your teeth, like 't' or 'n'. There are also sounds made further back in the mouth. Some consonants are "ejective," meaning they are made with a burst of air.

Sahaptin Vowels

Sahaptin has a few main vowel sounds. These sounds can also be long or short. Some vowels can also have an accent, which means they are stressed.

Writing Sahaptin

This alphabet is used for the Umatilla dialect of Sahaptin. It helps people write down the sounds of the language.

Learning More About Sahaptin

There are books about Sahaptin grammar. Grammar is how a language is put together. There is also a dictionary to help people learn words. Many texts have been published in Sahaptin as well.

Sahaptin has a special way of showing who is doing an action and who is receiving it. This is called "split ergative" syntax. It means that sometimes the subject of a sentence is marked differently depending on who is involved.

For example, in the Umatilla dialect:

• If a bear sees "him," the word for "him" changes.
• If a bear sees "me," the word for "bear" changes to show it's the one doing the seeing.

This system helps make it clear who is doing what in a sentence.

See also

• In Spanish: Idioma sahaptin para niños
• Sahaptian languages
• Sahaptin people
• Cayuse
• Palus (tribe)
• Umatilla (tribe)
• Walla Walla (tribe)
• Yakama