Interior Salish

[ in-teer-ee-er sey-lish ]

noun

1. a branch of the Salishan family of languages spoken in British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, and Montana, including Kalispel, Coeur d'Alene, and Shuswap.
2. a member of a group of Indigenous peoples of British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, and Montana traditionally speaking one of these languages.

adjective

1. of or relating to Interior Salish, its speakers, or their culture.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Interior Salish¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

It is one of four Southern Interior Salish languages.

From Seattle Times

“And then I decided to do some research. I hired an an-thropologist, an expert, and he quickly pointed out that the outfit was obviously of Interior Salish origin. And after doing a little research, he discovered that the outfit was Spokane Indian, to be specific. And then, a few years ago, he visited your reservation undercover and learned that this stolen outfit once belonged to a woman named Grandmother Spirit.”

From Literature

The interior Salish are landsmen and hunters, and from time immemorial have been accustomed to follow their game over mountainous country.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the tribes of this area, the interior Salish, the Thompson, Shushwap and Lillooet, appear to be the most typical of those concerning which any information is available.

From Project Gutenberg

Among the Interior Salish they were commonly made of wood, which was afterwards covered with hide.

From Project Gutenberg