Native Americans languages
Native American cultures
American Indian genealogy
Yakona
"Yakona" is the name of one of the two major dialects of the Alsea language. Some linguists consider Yakona distinct enough
from Alsea to call them two independent languages. Since neither language is natively spoken any longer and few records remain of
Yakona, it is impossible to say for sure. The name Yakona was a place name in their own language, referring to Yaquina Bay.
Both the dialect and the band who spoke it were named after the bay.
Incidentally, though the name of Yaquina Bay is pronounced yuh-kwin-uh today, the original placename was pronounced similar
to yuh-kwoo-nah.
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Here are links to our webpages about the Yakona tribe and language:
Yakona language
Alsea and Yakona Indians
Alsea numbers
Tribes of Oregon
Penutian
Pacific Northwest Coast
Here are links to more Internet resources about the Yakona Indians:
Yaquina Tribe
Yaquina Fact Sheet
Wikipedia: Yakona
And here are a few good books about the Yakonas:
The Indians of Yaquina Bay: The Yakona Tribe of the Central Oregon Coast
Alsea Texts and Myths
The People Are Dancing Again
Coyote Was Going There: Indian Literature of the Oregon Country
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