According to Powers, this family was represented, so far as known, by two tribes in California, one the Chi-ml-a-kwe, living on New River, a branch of the Trinity, the other the Chimariko, residing upon the Trinity itself from Burnt Ranch up to the mouth of North Fork, California. The two tribes are said to have been as numerous formerly as the Hupa, by whom they were overcome and nearly exterminated. Upon the arrival of the Americans only twenty-five of the Chimalakwe were left.
In 1875 Powers collected a Chimariko vocabulary of about two hundred words from a woman, supposed to be one of the last three women of that tribe. In 1889 Mr. Curtin, while in Hoopa Valley, found a Chimariko man seventy or more years old, who is believed to be one of the two living survivors of the tribe. Mr. Curtin obtained a good vocabulary and much valuable information relative to the former habitat and history of the tribe. Although a study of these vocabularies reveals a number of words having correspondences with the Kulanapan (Pomo) equivalents, yet the greater number show no affinities with the dialects of the latter family, or indeed with any other. The family is therefore cla.s.sed as distinct.
PRINc.i.p.aL TRIBES.
Chimariko.
Chimalakwe.
CHIMMESYAN FAMILY.
= Chimmesyan, Latham in Jour. Eth. Soc. Lond., I, 154, 1848 (between 53 30" and 55 30" N.L.). Latham, Opuscula, 250, 1860.
Chemmesyan, Latham, Nat. Hist. Man, 300, 1850 (includes Naaskok, Chemmesyan, Kitshatlah, Kethumish). Latham in Trans. Philolog. Soc.
Lond., 72, 1856. Latham, Opuscula, 339, 1860. Latham, Elements Comp.
Phil., 401, 1862.
= Chymseyans, Kane, Wanderings of an Artist, app., 1859 (a census of tribes of N.W. coast cla.s.sified by languages).
= Chimayans, Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, V, 487, 1855 (gives Kanes list but with many orthographical changes). Dall in Proc. Am. a.s.s., 269, 1869 (published in 1870). Dall in Cont. N.A. Eth., I, 36, 39, 40, 1877 (probably distinct from Tlinkets). Bancroft, Native Races, III, 564, 607, 1882.
= Tshimsian, Tolmie and Dawson, Comp. Vocabs., 14-25, 1884.
= Tsimpsi-an, Dall in Proc. Am. a.s.s., 379, 1885 (mere mention of family).
X Northern, Scouler in Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc. Lond., XI, 220, 1841 (includes Chimmesyans).
X Haidah, Scouler in Jour. Roy. Geog. Soc. Lond., XI, 220, 1841 (same as his Northern family).
< naas,="" gallatin="" in="" trans.="" am.="" eth.="" soc.,="" ii,="" pt.="" 1,="" c,="" 1848="" (including="" chimmesyan).="" berghaus="" (1851),="" physik.="" atlas,="" map="" 17,="">
< naa.s.s,="" gallatin="" in="" trans.="" am.="" eth.="" soc.,="" ii,="" pt.="" 1,="" 77,="">
Gallatin in Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, III, 402, 1853.
= Na.s.se, Dall in Cont. N.A. Eth., I, 36, 40, 1877 (or Chimsyan).
< na.s.s,="" bancroft,="" nat.="" races,="" iii,="" 564,="" 606,="" 1882="" (includes="" na.s.s="" and="" seba.s.sa="" indians="" of="" this="" family,="" also="">
= Hydahs, Keane, App. to Stanfords Comp. (Cent. and So. Am.), 473, 1878 (includes Tsimsheeans, Na.s.s, Skeenas, Seba.s.ses of present family).
Derivation: From the Chimsian tsem, on; kcian, main river: On the main (Skeena) river.
This name appears in a paper of Lathams published in 1848. To it is referred a vocabulary of Tolmies. The area where it is spoken is said by Latham to be 50 30" and 55 30". The name has become established by long usage, and it is chiefly on this account that it has been given preference over the Naas of Gallatin of the same year. The latter name was given by Gallatin to a group of languages now known to be not related, viz, Hailstla, Haceltzuk Billechola, and Chimeysan. Billechola belongs under Salishan, a family name of Gallatins of 1836.
Were it necessary to take Naas as a family name it would best apply to Chimsian, it being the name of a dialect and village of Chimsian Indians, while it has no pertinency whatever to Hailstla and Haceltzuk, which are closely related and belong to a family quite distinct from the Chimmesyan. As stated above, however, the term Naas is rejected in favor of Chimmesyan of the same date.
For the boundaries of this family the linguistic map published by Tolmie and Dawson, in 1884, is followed.
PRINc.i.p.aL TRIBES.
Following is a list of the Chimmesyan tribes, according to Boas:[32]
A. Nasqa: Nasqa.
Gyitksan.
B. Tsimshian proper: Tsemsian.
Gyitsumrlon.
Gyitsalaser.
Gyitqatla.
Gyitgaata.
Gyidesdzo.
[Footnote 32: B.A.A.S. Fifth Rep. of Committee on NW. Tribes of Canada. Newcastle-upon-Tyne meeting, 1889, pp. 8-9.]
_Population._--The Canadian Indian Report for 1888 records a total for all the tribes of this family of 5,000. In the fall of 1887 about 1,000 of these Indians, in charge of Mr. William Duncan, removed to Annette Island, about 60 miles north of the southern boundary of Alaska, near Port Chester, where they have founded a new settlement called New Metlakahtla. Here houses have been erected, day and industrial schools established, and the Indians are understood to be making remarkable progress in civilization.
CHINOOKAN FAMILY.
> Chinooks, Gallatin in Trans. and Coll. Am. Antiq. Soc., II, 134, 306, 1836 (a single tribe at mouth of Columbia).
= Chinooks, Hale in U.S. Expl. Expd., VI, 198, 1846. Gallatin, after Hale, in Trans. Am. Eth. Soc., II, pt. 1, 15, 1848 (or Tsinuk).
= Tshinuk, Hale in U.S. Expl. Expd., VI, 562, 569, 1846 (contains Watlala or Upper Chinook, including Watlala, Nihaloitih, or Echeloots; and Tshinuk, including Tshinuk, Tlatsap, Wakaikam).
= Tsinuk, Gallatin, after Hale, in Trans. Am. Eth. Soc., II, pt. 1, 15, 1848. Berghaus (1851), Physik. Atlas, map 17, 1852.
> Cheenook, Latham in Jour. Eth. Soc. Lond., I, 236, 1848. Latham, Opuscula, 253, 1860.
> Chinuk, Latham, Nat. Hist. Man, 317, 1850 (same as Tshink; includes c.h.i.n.ks proper, Klatsops, Kathlamut, Wakikam, Watlala, Nihaloitih).
Latham in Trans. Philolog. Soc. Lond., 73, 1856 (mere mention of family name). Latham, Opuscula, 340, 1860. Buschmann. Spuren der aztek. Sprache, 616-619, 1859.
= Tschinuk, Berghaus (1851), Physik. Atlas, map 17, 1852. Latham in Trans. Philolog. Soc. Lond., 73, 1856 (mere mention of family name).
Latham, Opuscula, 340, 1860. Latham, El. Comp. Phil., 402, 1862 (cites a short vocabulary of Watlala).
= Tshinook, Gallatin in Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, III, 402, 1853 (Chinooks, Clatsops, and Watlala). Tolmie and Dawson, Comp. Vocabs.
Brit. Col., 51, 61, 1884.
> Tshinuk, Buschmann, Spuren der aztek. Sprache, 616, 1859 (same as his Chinuk).
= Tsinuk, Dall, after Gibbs, in Cont. N.A. Eth., 1, 241, 1877 (mere mention of family).
= Chinook, Gatschet in Mag. Am. Hist., 167, 1877 (names and gives habitats of tribes). Gatschet in Beach, Ind. Misc., 442, 1877.