Central Washington University - Hyakem / Kooltuo Yearbook (Ellensburg, WA)

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is by no means the common mode of dress in Alaska. Alaskans dress precisely like other people. It is only in the extreme north and in extreme weather that furs are donned, and this garb is considered as much of a curiosity in other parts of Alaska as in the States” — which, by the way, is an Alaskan localism meaning that part of the United States not in¬ cluded in Alaska. The word husky means an Indian dog, as does also “malamute. The latter ter m hails from Eskimo-land, and more strictly speaking, the words refer to the strong, wolf-like Eskimo sled dogs. Chechako is an Indian expression meaning a new-comer — a tenderfoot,” to use a common western localism. The Alaskan opposite for ’chechako is “sour-dough, an elegant phrase borrowed from early days in California, and mean¬ ing old-timer. It refers to the popular and ingenious method of raising” bread by using a portion of sour dough instead of yeast, practiced by prospectors and others long removed from civilization’s helpful hand. The evolution from chechako to sourdough ’ is a gradual process, of variable length — and many and amusing arc the distinctions drawn between the two classes in different localities. Here in Southeastern Alaska, where steamers and mail steamers especially are events, in the largest sense of the word, they say that one has reached the sourdough stage when he knows all the steamer whistles, but never knows when they are due — thus implying that the “sourdough has lived in the country so long and become so thoroughly amalgamated that his tics and interests elsewhere have gradually vanished. The “chechako, on the other hand, always knows when a steamer is due — though the various whistles arc as Greek to him —and can always be detected by the feverish eagerness with which he awaits his mail — and also, as a rule, by the quantity of it, this latter being in an inverse ratio to the length of his stay. Cache and mush are transplanted French terms—“cache being in fact, a pure French word meaning a hiding place. So in the interior and other parts of Alaska, caches —little log hub or cabins safely perched up on stilts—are often built for the storing of surplus food or supplies during an owner’s absence. Mush” is corrupted from the French imperative form marchez, meaning march. I his expression is a great deal used throughout Alaska, broadly signifying “to travel. In managing dog teams, it is the signal for the start. It is related that in the restaurants at Nome, when a customer is asked what he wishes for breakfast, and replies loudly “mush.” all the dogs of the place get up and walk out. We cannot personally vouch for this, nor does our experience allow us to deny it. Mush sometimes means merely to walk. At Nome they go for a “mush over the tundra” where we would go for a stroll or for a constitutional, as the case might be. A musher is, of course, one who mushes.’ The tundra” is a flat, treeless waste frequently met with in extreme northern latitudes. To hit the trail” means up here “north of 53, to start, set out, or travel. “Placer” is by no means an exclusively Alaskan term, but it is typical of Alaska, nevertheless, since it was her rich gold deposits that first drew attention to the country. Placer mining and quartz mining arc the two methods of mining gold, employed according to the nature of the deposit. In the former, the gold-bearing rock has been decomposed and the particles washed down or deposited in “pay streaks.” the loose dirt being separated by such simple means as “washing” or sluicing.” In the latter, the gold is contained in veins or ledges of quartz, and the rock must be crushed in order to ob¬ tain it. A rocker,” or cradle, is just what the name implies, a boxlike contrivance on rockers, sometimes used for washing gold, but now considered rather antiquated on account of its slowness. I o grubstake means to furnish a prospector with the needful supplies while he is locating a claim. In cases of 19

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Concerning Alaskan Localisms. Answer any five. 1. 2 . 3. 4. 5. 6 . “cache,” “placer, tundra.” used? Define briefly. What is a “skip-jack? Define grubstake, “rocker,” (a) For what are “creepers’ (b) What are muk-luks”? .... Illustrate meaning of the verb “to mush.” How would you hit the trail ? Explain fully the difference between a “chechako” and a ’ sour-dough. Give meaning of the terms drift.” ledge.” cross-cut. footwall, and sample. UPPOSING that you were required to answer the foregoing questions, which are chosen at random from a host of possibilities, what percentage do you think you would make? They would be considered quite smrple byl the average Alaskan twelve-year-old. with the possible exception of the last questionwhich contamssomct) pica mining terms. And these, although constantly used in Alaska, and therefore quite indispensable to a com Dlete Alaskan vocabulary, would be equally characteristic of any other region where quartz mining is earned on. Localisms aVe alway n.er t ng. since through them we get little birds-eye glimpses, or snap-shots, of the geographyj climateTinduMrierancS social conditions of a locality. Thy speech doth bewray thee applies no less to localities than to individuals . ngs Alaskan are ginning to occupy a very prominent place in the public eye. After a lon « ' P Y Winkle sleep of obscurity and misunderstanding, the country is waking to a day of well-deserved appreciation and develop ment. Yet it is not surprising that wrong ideas and wild notions of Alaska have so long existed, for the country is not only immense but heterogeneous. The one term Alaska covers an expanse measuring 2.000 miles from extreme north to exj trerne south 1.800 miles from east to west, and containing several distinct and widely differing regions—the ukon or utf lerior country; the Nome district; the “Westward” country; and astly. the panhandle portion, or .SoutheasternAlask. j Each of these regions has its own special characteristics and its own loca isms. And while there are many of these latte I- t, litu. tKr teamboat ioke are good all over Alaska,” one can readily see that a detailed treatment of the subject would bJ tJS pTeUn affak. bUyond .he scope of this little chechako sketch-the dizziest hope of which is to afford S the reader an opportunity of adding a new word or two to his vocabulary, and. incidentally, perhaps, to sl ™Wj along with them a germ of interest in the fascinating, but wonderfully misunderstood Alaska by no means all. of the current Alaska localisms, are of Indian origin. Such is the word muk-luk. which means s r of overshoe or boot, resembling a moccasin with a high top. and made of tanned deer hide moose skin, or more commonly, of the fur of the hair seal. Being waterproof and at the same time pliable it is commonly used for mushing over the trail, in preference to other kinds of footgear. The “parka” is an outer garment of fur or heavy cloth—a little like a coatj with or without a hood, and elaborate or simple according to the fancy of the owner. These, with fur mittens, snowshoes and a dog team usually figure in the equipment of the winter traveler in the far north. Be it understood, however, that this is

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1 pro! this sort, the grubstake law provides that the locator shall own half of the claim, while the remaining half is divided rata among the grubstakers. The skip-jack” and “creepers are essentially Alaskan. The “creeper is worn not—as one might reasonably suppose from the namc-K,n the knees, but on the shoes. It consists of a flat metal plate sole-shaped, provided on the lower surface with several spiky points, also with straps so that it can be adjusted over the shoe, and is invaluable for nav-j igating on slippery sidewalks during a “cold snap. The skip-jack” belongs in the class with sleds, skates and skees. It is simply a strong, well curved barrel stavi provided at convenient height with a seat by nailing a flat crosspiece to an upright, which is fastened so idly to the conca surface of the stave. On this, young Alaska seats himself and goes merrily skimming down a snowy hillside, or the s ippe bed of a frozen water course. A long line of children coasting on skip-jacks is one of the many odd. interesting sights wil which Alaska seems so prodigal. .... . , , j In the building of plots, the weaving of tales, we are told always to leave something to the imagination of the reader. Surely a similar rule may be applied in “coaching for examinations. May we not leave something to the interest and diligence of the student? Then we shall leave you question six. which a very short excursion to a geology or an encycL pedia will answer for you. Better still, treat yourself to a real excursion which is becoming very popular with tourists now adays.—a summer visit to Alaska. If on the way you can take in the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Fair, which is to be hek in Seattle in 1909. so much the better. But do not stop there, for that would be like going to France to see Switzerland. Seattle is only Seattle, but Alaska—is Alaska. Someone—it sounds like Joaquin Miller, and he has been here and ought to know — has said: The Yosemite valley is beautiful. The Yellowstone Park is wonderful. The Canyon of the Colorado is colossal. But Alaska is all of these. At any rate, it is a land worth knowing, and a personal introduction, not only to Alaska localisms but to Alaskan scenery. Alaskan life, and Alaskan possibilities will be not only more accurate, but infinitely more interesting than a mere bowing acquaintance obtained by proxy. B Alice Henson Christoe Class of 1900