Save a Language

Save the Chinook (Jargon) language!

The powerful Chinook Indian tribe once spoke the Chinook language on the Washington Coast at the mouth of the Columbia River. Most of the desendents of its speakers now speak English instead of Chinook.

The Chinook language is a part of our American heritage. It is a part of the beginning of this great nation. If we lose it, we might lose perspective and understanding about our origins. For example, Lewis and Clark encountered the Chinook people and probably heard the language or maybe even spoke it. We will be able to identify with the past better if we have more connections to it. The Chinook language is one of those connections.

http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/idx_chi.html

The Chinook Native Americans also had a large collection of legends and folklore. If we loose the language, we will not be able to read or hear this literature in the way they were meant to be told.
http://www.native-languages.org/chinook-legends.htm