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Cayuse Indian Language (Waiilatpu)

Cayuse was a language isolate (a language unrelated to any other known living language) once spoken in the northwest United States. Though the Cayuse people still live on combined reservations in Oregon and Washington state, their native language has not been spoken since the 19th century. Some Cayuse Indians still speak Nez Perce, the language of a neighboring tribe with whom many of them took shelter in the 1800's. The Cayuse language itself has left few traces. It was once said to be related to Molalla, but this was apparently just a rumor retold as fact; the records that remain of the language do not seem to have anything in common with Molalla or the Sahaptin languages at all.

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Cayuse Language Resources

Vanishing Tongues:
    Article about a Cayuse/Nez Perce linguist working to save the languages of his ancestors.
Cayuse:
    Information on the Cayuse language in Spanish, including a language map of the Great Basin.
Cayuse Language Tree:
    Theories about Cayuse's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.

Cayuse Culture and History Links

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation:
    Official homepage of the combined Umatilla/Walla Walla/Cayuse tribe of Oregon.
Tamastslikt Cultural Institute:
    Interpretive center designed by the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes to tell their own history.
The Wallawalla, Umatilla, and Cayuse:
    Curtis' early 20th-century ethnography of the Cayuse Indians and their neighbors.
Cayuse:
    Information about the Cayuse Indians from the University of Oregon.
Cayuse Tribe:
    Article on Cayuse history and culture.
Cayuse Legends:
    Collection of Cayuse Indian legends and folktales.
Cayuse Indians:
    History of Cayuse interactions with the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Cayuse Authors:
    Cayuse writers, their lives and work.
Four Directions: Cayuse:
    Timeline and links about Cayuse history.

Books For Sale On The Cayuse
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links

The Cayuse Indians: Imperial Tribesmen Of Old Oregon:
    Book on the Cayuse tribe for sale online.
Cayuse Indians: The Art of Michael G Booth:
    Coffee-table book depicting the Cayuse people in photographs and artwork.
Yakima, Palouse, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Wanapum Indians:
    Ethnography of the Cayuses and other Northwest Plateau Indian tribes.

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Links, References, and Additional Information

   Wikipedia: Cayuse People:
   Encyclopedia articles on the Cayuse tribe.
   Pueblo Cayuse: * Los Cayuse: * Idioma Cayuse:
   Information about the Cayuse Indians and their language in Spanish.



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