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Umpqua Indian Language (Upper Umpqua, Etnemitane)

Umpqua was an Athabascan language once spoken on the Oregon coast. Unfortunately there have been no Umpqua speakers for at least fifty years, and few remnants of the language have survived. This language is often referred to as "Upper Umpqua" by anthropologists, to distinguish it from Siuslaw, which they call "Lower Umpqua." The "upper" and "lower" do not refer to any features of the languages, which are entirely unrelated (Siuslaw is a Penutian language)--Umpqua is the native name of the river both tribes live on, and the Athabaskan speakers simply live upriver from the Siuslaw speakers.

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Upper Umpqua Language Resources

Umpqua Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Upper Umpqua Language Tree:
    Theories about Upper Umpqua's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.
Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians
     Official homepage of the Oregon Umpqua tribe.
Confederated Tribes of The Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians
     Official homepage of this combined tribe of Oregon.
Pacific Northwest Language Domains:
    Language map of Upper Umpqua and other Northwest Coast languages of Washington, Oregon and California.
West Coast Athabaskans
     Brief history of the Kwalhioqua, Umpqua, and other Oregon Athabascan tribes from the University of Oregon.
Umpqua Legends:
    Collection of Umpqua mythology and traditional stories.
Oregon Indian Tribes
     Fact sheet about the Umpqua and other Oregon Indian tribes.
Umpqua Indians
     Article on Umpqua interactions with the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Coquelle Thompson, Athabaskan Witness
     Biography of an Upper Umpqua man for sale online.

Additional Resources, Links, and References

   Lengua Umpqua:
   Information about the Upper Umpqua language in Spanish.



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