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Coos Indian Language (Coosan, Hanis, Miluk)

The two Coos dialects, Hanis and Miluk, were once spoken on the coast of Oregon. Unfortunately the last native Coosan speaker died in 1972, but the language appears to have been related to Siuslaw and Alsea, and some linguists consider all these languages part of a broader Penutian language family. Miluk Coosan is sometimes referred to as "Lower Coquille" by anthropologists, because the traditional homeland of the Miluk includes the lower part of the Coquille River. The term "lower" does not have anything to do with the language, which is completely unrelated to the Athabascan language of the Upper Coquille.

˜Coos Language Resources –

Coos
Profile of the Coos tribe with a map and language chart.

Coos Language
Scanned-in Coos information including pronunciation, grammar and texts.

Coos
Demographic information about Coos from the Ethnologue of Languages.

˜Coos Culture and History Links –

Confederated Tribes of The Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians
Official homepage of the Oregon tribe comprising the Coos Indians and their neighbors.

West Coast Athabaskans
Brief history of the Kwalhioqua, Coos, and other Oregon Athabascan tribes from the University of Oregon.

Coos Indians
Article on Coos history and culture.

Coos Legends:
Collection of Coos Indian legends and folktales.

Oregon Indian Tribes
Fact sheet about the Coos and other Oregon Indian tribes.

˜Books For Sale On The Coos –

She's Tricky Like Coyote
Interesting biography of Coos elder Annie Miner Peterson for sale online.

When Grandmother Sang Her Song: Tales of the Kusan
Small collection of Coos Indian legends.

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