Sahaptin

• Eugene S. Hunn, with James Selam and Family, Nch'i-Wána, "The Big River": Mid-Columbia Indians and their Land. Univ. of Washington Press, 1990. 378 pp. $30. --- A study of the "cultural landscape" of the Sahaptin groups whose traditional territory was along the Columbia River between Celilo Falls and Priest Rapids, and whose descendents today mainly live on the Yakima/Umatilla and Warm Springs Reservations. Hunn, an ethnobiologist, includes extensive data on ecology and plant and animal resources, but he also weaves in history, sociology, religion, and consideration of modern social problems. Of special interest to the linguist is Chapter 3, "Language," which includes a phonological and grammatical sketch of Columbia River Sahaptin (largely derived from Rigsby's unpublished work) and sections on toponymy, historical relationships, the "Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis," and the prospects for linguistic survival. Among the several substantial appendices are detailed lists of Sahaptin plant and animal terms, a list of medicinal plants, and a list of kin terms. --- Order from Univ. of Washington Press, P.O. Box C-50096, Seattle, WA 98105. [Oct. 1990]