Tututni language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tututni |
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|---|---|
| Tutudin, Coquille, Lower Rogue River Rogue River |
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| Native to | Oregon |
| Ethnicity | Coquille tribe, Tututni tribe (including Euchre Creek band), Chasta Costa tribe |
| Extinct | 1983e18 |
| Language family |
Dené–Yeniseian?
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Tututni (also called "Tutudin" or "Nuu-wee-ya") was a language once spoken by Native American tribes in southwestern Oregon. It is also known as Upper Coquille or (Lower) Rogue River. This language belongs to a group called Athabaskan.
The last known person to speak Tututni passed away in 1983, which means the language is now considered extinct. However, in 2006, students at Linfield College started a project to help bring the language back to life.
Contents
About the Tututni Language
Tututni was one of four languages that are part of the Oregon Athabaskan family. This family is a branch of the larger Pacific Coast Athabaskan languages group.
The People Who Spoke Tututni
Several tribes spoke Tututni. These included the Tututni tribe (which had a group called the Euchre Creek band), the Coquille tribe, and the Chasta Costa tribe. All of these groups were part of the Rogue River Indian peoples who lived in southwestern Oregon.
Different Ways of Speaking (Dialects)
Just like how different regions might have different accents or words, Tututni had several dialects. These were slightly different versions of the language spoken in various areas.
Main Tututni Dialects
- Coquille: This dialect was also known as Upper Coquille or Mishikhwutmetunee. People spoke it along the upper Coquille River.
- Tututni: This was the main dialect, and it had several names like Tututunne, Naltunnetunne, Mikonotunne, Kwatami, Chemetunne, Chetleshin, and Khwaishtunnetunnne.
- Euchre Creek: This dialect was spoken by the Euchre Creek band of the Tututni tribe.
- Chasta Costa: Also known as Illinois River or Šista Qʼʷə́sta, this dialect was spoken by the Chasta Costa tribe.
