The Sound of the Salish Language (Numbers, Greetings, Phrases & Story)

The Salish or Séliš language, also known as Kalispel–Pend d’oreille, Kalispel–Spokane–Flathead, or, to distinguish it from the Salish language family to which it gave its name, Montana Salish, is a Salishan language with dialects spoken (as of 2005) by about 64 elders of the Flathead Nation in north central Montana…...

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The Sound of the Tlingit language (Numbers, Greetings, Phrases & Story)

The Tlingit language is spoken by the Tlingit people in Southeast Alaska from Yakutat (Yaakwdáat, Yàkwdât) south to Portland Canal, and from British Columbia into south-central Yukon Territory between Tagish and Kaska northward. The Tlingit language is distantly related to Eyak and the Athabaskan languages as a branch of the…...

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The Sound of the Nootka / Nuu-chah-nulth language (Numbers, Sentences, Phrases & Story)

Nuu-chah-nulth, also known as Nootka, is Wakashan language historically spoken on the west coast of Vancouver Island, from Barkley Sound to Quatsino Sound in British Columbia by the Nuu-chah-nulth peoples. Nuu-chah-nulth is a Southern Wakashan language related to Nitinaht and Makah. It is the first language of the indigenous peoples…...

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The Sound of the Haida language (Numbers, Greetings, Sentences & Phrases)

Haida (X̱aat Kíl, X̱aadas Kíl, X̱aayda Kil, Xaad kil) is the language of the Haida people, spoken in the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of British Columbia and on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. An endangered language, Haida currently has 24 native speakers, though revitalization efforts are underway.…...

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Your Chinook Wawa Word of the Day: Tzum

TZUM [tsŭm] or [chŭm]  — adjective, noun. Meaning: Color; spot; spotted; stripe; writing; write; written; mark; marked; figures; colors; printing; pictures; paint; painted; ornamental colors; tint; mixed colors; festive colors. Origin: From a Chinookan particle ts’am ‘variegated (in color)’, ts’em ‘spotted’ > Lower Chinook ch’əám, “variegated” Oncorhynchus keta Sometimes spelled…...

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The Sound of the Chinook Jargon language (Numbers, Greetings & Story)

Chinook Wawa (also known as Chinuk Wawa or Chinook Jargon, and sometimes Chinook Lelang) is a nearly extinct pidgin trade language that bordered on being a creole language which served as a true lingua franca of the Cascadia bioregion for several hundred years. Partly related to, but not the same…...

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BIOREGIONAL SPOTLIGHT #1: KWONGAN

This is the first in a series that seeks to identify and explore bioregions throughout the world. As an introduction, the reader is guided through the process of bioregional mapping as we look at a well studied but unrecognized bioregion: Kwongan...

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Want to get involved? Join our next organizers orientation Tuesday, March 2nd at 6pm

Interested in being a part of Cascadia and the Cascadia movement? Join a Cascadia Department of Bioregion organizers meeting where we discuss the basics, talk about how people want to be involved, and then plug people in. No committment needed. Hop on, check it out. Ask questions. See if it’s…...

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YOUR CHINOOK WAWA WORD OF THE DAY: PELTON

In the early 19th century, somebody went “crazy” in Cascadia, and they’ve been remembered in Chinook Wawa ever since. Who was this person, and what connections do they have to Oregon's state history? Read and find out!...

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Investigate West Launches new “Decarbonizing Cascadia” Series

“Getting to Zero: Decarbonizing Cascadia” is a yearlong reporting initiative led by InvestigateWest, in partnership with Grist, Crosscut, The Tyee, the South Seattle Emerald, The Evergrey, and Jefferson Public Radio....

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