Don Addison Photo by Larry Johnson

The Shoshone Language

Arlie Neskahi:
Welcome back to Wisdom of the Elders.

Don Addison:
Halito ! I'm Don Addision and this is Speaking Native.

The Montana Salish people speak a dialect of the Salishan language family, which includes Bella Coola, and the Coastal and Interior Salish. The interior includes the Flathead and its cousins, the Spokane and Kalispel dialects. Salish speakers have gathered annually since 1966 to ensure that their languages survive. In Salish , “ hust-spu-oss ” means “to have a good heart.”

Hust-spu-oss . Until next time, yakoke !

 

Silver-gelatin print. Thomas McIllwraith. Bella Coola river, British Columbia, Canada, May 1922. Mounted Haddon Collection. P.8470.ACH1
		Salish Man Named Paul Challae and Small Child , Montana, date unknown. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.