Methow people
Buttlemuleemauch | |
|---|---|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States (Washington) | |
| Languages | |
| English, Salishan, Interior Salish | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Colville, Sanpoil, Nespelem, Palus, Wenatchi, Entiat, Sinixt, Southern Okanagan, Sinkiuse-Columbia, and the Nez Perce of Chief Joseph's band |
The Methow (/ˈmɛthaʊ/ MET-how) are a Native American tribe that lived along the Methow River, a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington.[1] They are an Interior Salish people and an Indigenous people of the Plateau. Today, Methow people are enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, a federally recognized tribe.
The Methow were a relatively small tribe, with an estimated population of 800 in 1780 and 300 in 1870.[1]
Name
[edit]The river's English name is taken from that of the tribe. The name "Methow" comes from the Okanagan placename /mətxʷú/, meaning "sunflower (seeds)". The tribe's name for the river was Buttlemuleemauch, meaning "salmon falls river".[2]
Language
[edit]Their endangered language, known as Colville-Okanagan, spoken only by older adults, is a part of the Southern Interior Salish linguistic branch.[3] The Methow now speak English.
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b Ruby, Robert H. (1992). A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-8061-2479-7.
- ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
- ^ "Washington Indian Tribes". accessgenealogy.com. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
External links
[edit]- Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, official website
