INDIANS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. AQ

an extensive use of auxiliary verbs in the inflexion of the verb. The enormous number
of dialects of the Coast Salish is particularly remarkable when compared with the
uniformity of the language of the Nutka, and with that of the Kwakiutl.

The last group of the Salish are the Bilqula, who are widely separated from the rest.
Accordingly their language differs much, comparatively, from that of the Salish proper and
Coast Salish. It seems that a considerable number of foreign words, particularly such of
Kwakiutl origin, have been embodied in the language, while its grammar bears all the
characteristic features of the Salish grammar. The elimination of vowels has reached a
very great extent in this case, numerous words consisting exclusively of consonants. The
comparison upon page 50 shows that there can be no doubt as to the Salish origin of the
Bilqula. The fact that a number of expressions bearing upon the sea are the same in both
groups, leads me to the conclusion that they separated from the other tribes after having
lived for some time on the coast.

The following list shows that the Wik’é’nok’, a tribe of K-wakiutl lineage, inhabiting
Rivers Inlet, borrowed many words from the Bilqula, and vice versa. The borrowed words

are marked with an asterisk :—

Sec. II, 1888. 7.

WIK’h’ NOK.

ENGLISH. BILQULA.

Bear, black nan* nan

ioe grizely tl’a tl’a*
Beaver kolo’n kolo’n*
Blanket, to take off k*oé/qom* k-’6’qtlsut
Bracelet yu’yuq* gy’d’/kula
ONG EO ern noe hé/mes*
Dog wa/tsé* wa’tsé
Elk tla/les* {lols
Finger, first ts’em ts’é’mala*
Hook k‘atlai/yu k-atlai/yu*
Kettle qanisa’tls ha/nihtlano*
Lake tsatl tsa/latl*
Rattle ye’ten ye’ten*
Sea Lion tl’e’qen* tlé’/qén
Shaman atlk-oa/la* tlok-oa/la
Starfish katsq* k-atsk:
Thumb k‘0’/na* k‘o’ma
Tobacco t?a/uk* tla’ok*