Skookum is a

Chinook Jargon Chinook Jargon (' or ', also known simply as ''Chinook'' or ''Jargon'') is a language originating as a pidgin language, pidgin trade language in the Pacific Northwest. It spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to othe ...

word that has been in widespread historical use in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

, as well as the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. It has a range of meanings, commonly associated with an English translation of ''strong'' or ''monstrous''. The word can mean strong, greatest, powerful, ultimate, or brave. Something can be ''skookum'', meaning "strong" or "monstrously significant". When used in reference to another person, e.g. "he's skookum", it conveys connotations of reliability or a monstrous nature, as well as strength, size or a hard-working nature. DCHP-3 classifies skookum as a Type 4 Canadianism, by virtue of cultural significance.

Derivative words

''Skookum house'' means "jail" or "prison'" (cf. the English euphemism ''the big house'', but here meaning "strong house"). ''Skookum tumtum'', lit. "strong heart", is generally translated as "brave" or possibly "good-hearted". In the Chinook language, ''skookum'' is a verb auxiliary, used similarly to ''can'' or ''to be able''. Another compound, though fallen out of use in modern British Columbia English, is ''skookum lacasset'' or "strongbox". '' Skookumchuck'' means "turbulent water" or "rapids in a stream or river", literally "strong water" (''chuck'' is Chinook Jargon for "water", "stream" or "lake"). It is a common placename in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and Idaho. The term is used for tidal-exchange rapids at the mouths of inlets and bays, a regular feature of the

Inside Passage The Inside Passage () is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United St ...

, especially Skookumchuck Narrows.

Monsters

A ''skookum'' is a variety of mountain

giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''wiktionary:gigas, gigas'', cognate wiktionary:giga-, giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''gia ...

monster A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...

similar to the Sasquatch or

Bigfoot Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...

. In the surviving Chinuk-Wawa spoken in

Grand Ronde, Oregon Grand Ronde is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Polk and Yamhill counties, Oregon, United States. Historically noted as a village in Polk County, the sphere of influence and community is in both Polk and Yamhill c ...

, this variant is pronounced differently—''skoo-KOOM''—but when used in English with this meaning, it is pronounced the same way as the "big and strong" meaning. Skookums were bad spirits or devils of which crows, eagles, owls, blue jays, various beasts and reptiles could be representations. They could inhabit people and cause serious illness.

Dolls

A derivative usage of the skookum-as-monster context was the application of the name to a souvenir Skookum doll, sometimes simply called "a skookum". Mary McAboy first started making Skookum dolls in 1913 and received a patent for them in 1914. They were popular from the early 1920s until the 1960s. They were factory-made dolls that resembled Native American people and were sold to tourists at trading posts in the western United States. Early dolls heads were made of dried apples with the bodies made of wood and stuffed with either leaves, straw, twigs or grass stuffed in a muslin sack. Later the dolls were

composition doll A composition doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of Composition (manufacturing material), composition, a composite material composed of sawdust, glue, and other materials such as cornstarch, resin and wood flour. The first composition dol ...

s and had mohair wigs. Later dolls were made of plastic and had plastic brown shoes. They have "Indian style" blankets as part of their attire. Some had jewelry such as beaded necklaces or earrings. Some dolls have feathered headdresses. The sizes of the dolls ranged from babies inside of cradle boards to large, human size store display dolls. The rule of thumb is the larger the doll, the more valuable/rare they are. The most common sizes range from about seven inches to about 12 inches tall. Skookums were widely imitated. Minnetonka, Milbros or Minnehaha dolls are similar, but not the same. Most Skookum dolls were made so they look to the right. Skookums do not have arms: they are wrapped with blankets and have the suggestion of arms. Skookums never have gray hair, as in "elders". Skookums should have the words "Skookum" either stamped on their brown plastic shoes or a tag with "Skookum" on their foot in the case of the older versions.

Other uses

Skookum, either alone or in the combination skookumchuck, occurs in dozens of placenames throughout the Pacific Northwest region and beyond.Marshall, Maureen E. ''Wenatchee's Dark Past''. Wenatchee, Wash: The Wenatchee World, 2008. A short form used with personal names, "Skook", is found on the map of British Columbia at Mount Skook Davidson near the confluence of the Kechika and

Gataga River The Gataga River is a river in the Northern Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. It is a tributary of the Kechika River, which is a tributary of the Liard. See also *List of rivers of British Columbia The following is a partial list of rivers ...

s in northern

and Mount Skook Jim, near the head of the Stein River in the northern

Lillooet Ranges The Lillooet Ranges are the southeasternmost subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. They are located between the drainage of the Lillooet River and Harrison Lake on the west and the canyon of the Fraser Rive ...

between Pemberton and Lytton. Local lore in any area of British Columbia may have a Skookum Charlie or a Skookum Brown; the most famous of such nicknames was that of Skookum Jim, one of the co-discoverers of the Klondike goldfields in the

. It is also the name given to a famous 1909 Baldwin 2-4-4-2 Mallet type logging locomotive. That locomotive, Columbia River Belt Line Number 7, is notable both for being the first Mallet built by the company for logging purposes, and for having been saved from its planned scrapping by getting into an accident that caused it to be stranded in the woods until preservationists could purchase and restore it.

References

External links

{{Wiktionary
Skookum Dolls History
Legendary creatures of the indigenous peoples of North America Culture of British Columbia First Nations culture in Canada Canadian slang Chinook Jargon