"We’re going to talk about some names that are located around [says Lushootseed name]. That’s what we call Seattle."
Featuring Michelle Myles (Snohomish from Tulalip), Lushootseed teacher.
Our people named these places in Lushootseed
Saltwater Soundwalk SHORT
Michelle Myles (Tulalip): So first off we’re going to talk about some names that are located around [Says Lushootseed name]. That’s what we call Seattle.
[Says Lushootseed name twice] The portage from Lake Washington to Lake Union. The people used to lift up their canoes and carried it across.
[Lushootseed name / marsh in southern end of Portage Bay]
[Speaks in Lushootseed] In Lushootseed it means a place where jumping occurred. Nowadays, there are a number of houseboats that are moored along this waterfront, and so that’s located near Gas Works Park.
[Lushootseed word / deep. A place with a rocky shoreline]
[Lushootseed phrase / where a trail descends to the water at the southern end of Lake Union.]
[Speaks in Lushootseed]. And this is for a bluff at the foot of Lake Union on the southern shore.
So what’s fascinating about all these land formations, you have to think back that when our people were naming these places in Lushootseed, there were no planes at that time. Our people had to walk, travel by canoe, and for them to name all these locations around Washington State all through Seattle, all the way up until you get to Canada, is amazing.
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