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Curious
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Curious
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PostSun Apr 07, 2002 11:48 am 
Wahpenayo Peak is such a wonderful name, but I can't find what it means. Salish or others, do you have any insight on this Native term? Hitchman says nearby Chutla means "rock" in Nisqually jargon.

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salish
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PostSun Apr 07, 2002 6:50 pm 
At first thought I would have thought it was Yakama or Klickitat language, but I don't know. I'll try and remember to ask some Yakama tribal members I know. Maybe this is another Brian Curtis question? smile.gif

My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
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IBEX
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PostSun Apr 07, 2002 8:42 pm 
What is Wahpenayo? In the study of Washington place names; in particular the early topographers adaptation of Native American dialects, it becomes increasingly obvious that the Indian names get massively massacred in the translation. Assuming this to be so, in regards to the naming Wahpenayo peak on the west end of the Tatoosh Range, I have high confidence that the following is nearly true. Imagine it is early August 1870 and you are watching history unfold in Mr. Longmire’s field on his new ranch site near Bear Prairie. Just preparing to leave the ranch are four men. Three of them (A young tax collector with a slight limp; an unsuccessful prospector turned Governor’s Aid; and an older mountaineer with a way too big pack) are questioning the Indian guide. The young brave was radical to be taking on a guide job into the prime hunting ground of the upper Nisqually. But, He was a chiefs son and had the right to be cocky. The three climbers were asking which way to go. Though Sluiskin was of the Yakima Nation, he spoke to the whites in Chinook jargon, as was usual when bartering. He pointed to Takhoma and said, “Snow Hill”. Now, Snow hill in Chinook is “Ma Tum Pugh Yano”. But, Sluiskin wasn’t that good at speaking Chinook and the white dudes had a hard time with the guttural chokes and clicks he put between the vowels. So, the three climbers cocked their heads, looked at each other for a moment and then in unison declared, “Wahpenayo it is!” and they took off to climb Rainier. biggrin.gif

"....what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen...." -Rene Daumel
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Curious
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PostSun Apr 07, 2002 10:09 pm 
Hmmm. Interesting thought, Ibex, but your story appears to be a bit "kliminawhit" which is Chinook jargon for somewhat of a fabrication (your biggrin.gif tips us off). I tried to look up "Ma Tum Pugh Yano" in the Chinook dictionaries of Shaw, Phillips, and Gibbs, and struck out. There is the word "mama" which means the same thing it does to us now. There is a "tumtum" which means heart or opinion. There is no "pugh" or "yano" in these Chinook jargon dictionaries. A "snowy hill" would be something like cole snass tenas saghalie illahee (cold rain, small high ground).

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PostMon Apr 08, 2002 8:36 am 
Opps … I seem to be caught in a scam. Now you get to watch me squirm. I should have known not to respond to an unregistered user. Anyway…How about this theory? More likely Sluiskin spoke 'Tshimshean. Probably with respect to the elder Mr Coleman that he knew to be a "King George Man" and of his adventures to the north on Mt Baker. References: Hibben & Carswell (publ.), Dictionary of Indian Tongues, Containing Most of the Words and Terms Used in the Tshimpsean, Hydah, & Chinook, with Their Meaning or Equivalent in the English Language. Victoria, 1862. pg 4 & 5 The Mountaineers (publ.) The Challenge of Rainier, D. Molenaar, 3rd Ed, 7th Printing. Seattle, 1997. pg 31-( ). P.S. Of course, I will never be able to claim that any of this is other than "kliminawhit". biggrin.gif

"....what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen...." -Rene Daumel
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