Oowekyala

Oowekyala (also Rivers Inlet, Oweekeno, Wikeno, Owikeno, Oowekeeno, Oweekano, Awikenox, Oowek'yala, Oweek'ala) is a dialect (or a sublanguage) of Heiltsuk-Oowekyala, a North Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language spoken around Rivers Inlet in British Columbia.

Culture

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Language

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Sounds

Consonants

The 45 consonants of Oowekyala:

Phonologically, affricates are treated as stops, and nasals and approximants are treated as sonorants. Additionally, /ɦ/ and /ʔ/ are treated as sonorants.

A more phonological representation of the consonantal segments is the following:

Vowels

The 6 vowels of Oowekyala:

Oowekyala has phonemic short, long, and glottalized vowels.

Syllables

Oowekyala, like the infamous Nuxálk (Bella Coola), allows long sequences of obstruents, as in the following 7-obstruent word:

[ʦ’k’ʷχttɬkʦ]  'the invisible one here-with-me will be short'   (Howe 2000: 5)

Links

• The Heiltsuk-Oweek'ala Language
• Bibliography of Materials on the Heiltsuk Language
• The Wakashan Languages

Bibliography

• Boas, Franz. (1928). Bella Bella texts. Columbia University contributions to anthropology (No. 5).
• Boas, Franz. (1932). Bella Bella tales. Memoirs of the American Folklore Society (No. 25).
• Hanuse, R., Sr.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (Eds.) (1983?). The Adjee and the Little Girl. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
• Hilton, Suzanne; & Rath, John C. (1982). Oowekeeno oral traditions. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
• Howe, Darin. (1998). Aspects of Heiltsuk laryngeal phonology. Ms., University of British Columbia.
• Howe, Darin M. (2000). Oowekyala segmental phonology. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa).
• Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). What time is it? Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
• Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). Fishing at Rivers Inlet. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
• Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). Qaquthanugva uikala. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
• Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). Sisa'kvimas. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
• Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). ’Katemxvs ’Wuik’ala. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
• Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1984?). Oowekyala words. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
• Lincoln, Neville J.; & Rath, John C. (1980). North Wakashan comparative root list. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
• Poser, William J. (2003). The status of documentation for British Columbia native languages. Yinka Dene Language Institute Technical Report (No. 2). Vanderhoof, British Columbia: Yinka Dene Language Institute.
• Rath, John C. (1981). A practical Heiltsuk-English dictionary. Canadian Ethnology Service, Mercury Series paper (No. 75). Ottawa: National Museum of Man.
• Stevenson, David. (1980). The Oowekeeno people: A cultural history. Ottawa, Ontario: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization). (Unpublished).
• Stevenson, David. (1982). The ceremonial names of the Oowekeeno people of Rivers Inlet. Ottawa, Ontario: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization). (Unpublished).
• Storie, Susanne. (Ed.). (1973). Oweekano Stories. (Special Collections: E99 094 094 1973). Victoria: British Columbia Indian Advisory Committee.
• Windsor, Evelyn W. (1982). Oowekeeno oral traditions as told by the late chief Simon Walkus, Sr. Hilton, S.; & Rath, J. C. (Eds.). Mercury series (No. 84). Ottawa: National Museum of Man.