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- Washo, Gatschet in Mag. Am. Hist., 255, April, 1882.
- Shoshone, Keane, App. Stanford’s Comp. (Cent. and So. Am.),
477, 1878 (contains Washoes).
- Snake, Keane, ibid. (Same as Shoshone, above.)
This family is represented by a single well known tribe, whose
range extended from Reno, on the line of the Central Pacific
Railroad, to the lower end of the Carson Valley.
On the basis of vocabularies obtained by Stephen Powers and other
investigators, Mr. Gatschet was the first to formally separate the
language. The neighborhood of Carson is now the chief seat of the
tribe, and here and in the neighboring valleys there are about 200
living a parasitic life about the ranches and towns.
Weitspekan Family
- Weits-pek, Gibbs in Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, III, 422, 1853
(a band and language on Klamath at junction of Trinity). Latham,
El. Comp. Phil., 410, 1862 (junction of Klamath and Trinity
Rivers). Gatschet in Mag. Am. Hist., 163, 1877 (affirmed to be
distinct from any neighboring tongue). Gatschet in Beach, Ind.
Misc., 438, 1877.
- Weitspek, Latham in Trans. Philolog. Soc. Lond., 77, 1856
(junction of Klamath and Trinity Rivers; Weyot and Wishosk
dialects). Latham, Opuscula, 343, 1860.
- Eurocs, Powers in Overland Monthly, VII, 530, June, 1872 (of
the Lower Klamath and coastwise; Weitspek, a village of).
- Eurok, Gatschet in Mag. Am. Hist., 163, 1877. Gatschet in
Beach, Ind. Misc., 437, 1877.
- Yu´-rok, Powers in Cont. N.A. Eth., III, 45, 1877 (from
junction of Trinity to mouth and coastwise). Powell, ibid., 460
(vocabs. of Al-i-kwa, Klamath, Yu´-rok.)
- Klamath, Keane, App. Stanford’s Comp. (Cent. and So. Am.),
475, 1878 (Eurocs belong here).
Derivation: Weitspek is the name of a tribe or village of the
family situated on Klamath River. The etymology is unknown.
Gibbs was the first to employ this name, which he did in 1853, as
132 above cited. He states that it is “the name of the principal
band on the Klamath, at the junction of the Trinity,” adding that
“this language prevails from a few miles above that point to the
coast, but does not extend far from the river on either side.” It
would thus seem clear that in this case, as in several others, he
selected the name of a band to apply to the language spoken by it.
The language thus defined has been accepted as distinct by later
authorities except Latham, who included as dialects under the
Weitspek language, the locality of which he gives as the junction of
the Klamath and Trinity Rivers, the Weyot and Wishosk, both of which
are now classed under the Wishoskan family.
By the Karok these tribes are called Yurok, “down” or “below,” by
which name the family has recently been known.
Geographic Distribution
For our knowledge of the range of the tribes of this family we are
chiefly indebted to Stephen Powers.109 The tribes occupy the lower
Klamath River, Oregon, from the mouth of the Trinity down. Upon the
coast, Weitspekan territory extends from Gold Bluff to about 6 miles
above the mouth of the Klamath. The Chillúla are an offshoot of the
Weitspek, living to the south of them, along Redwood Creek to a
point about 20 miles inland, and from Gold Bluff to a point about
midway between Little and Mad Rivers.
Principal Tribes
Chillúla, Redwood Creek.
Mita, Klamath River.
Pekwan, Klamath River.
Rikwa, Regua, fishing village at outlet of Klamath River.
Sugon, Shragoin, Klamath River.
Weitspek, Klamath River (above Big Bend).
Indian Linguistic Families of America North of Mexico, 1891
Linguistic
Families
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