For other uses, see Methow

Methow

Methow may refer to:* Methow , a Native American tribe* Methow, Washington* Methow River...

.

The Methow , a Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 tribe historically lived along the Methow River

Methow River

The Methow River is a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington in the United States. The river's watershed is , with a population of about 5,000 people. The Methow's watershed is characterized by relatively pristine habitats, with much of the river basin is located in national forests...

, a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Columbia River

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 in northern Washington. The tribe's name for the river was Buttlemuleemauch, meaning "salmon falls river". The river's English name is taken from that of the tribe. The name "Methow" comes from the Okanagan

Colville-Okanagan language

Colville-Okanagan is a Salish language which arose among the inhabitants of the Okanagan River Basin and spread into the Columbia River Basin. Following British, American, and Canadian colonization during the 1800s and the subsequent repression of all Salishan languages, the use of...

 placename /mətxʷú/, meaning "sunflower (seeds)".

According to Chelan

Chelan (tribe)

The Chelan tribe , meaning "Deep Water" are an Interior Salish people speaking the Wenatchi dialect, though separate from that tribe. The Chelan were historically located at the outlet of Lake Chelan in Washington.-Ethnography:...

 legend, the beaver's heart, taken across the mountains, became the Methow tribe.

In 1780, there were approximately 800 Methow and Sinkiuse-Columbia

Sinkiuse-Columbia

The Sinkiuse-Columbia were a Native American tribe so-called because of their former prominent association with the Columbia River. They called themselves .tskowa'xtsEnux, or .skowa'xtsEnEx , or Sinkiuse. They applied the name also to other neighboring Interior Salish peoples...

 Native Americans, but by 1907, the number had dropped to 324.

Today, the Methow live primarily on the Colville Indian Reservation

Colville Indian Reservation

The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is recognized by the United States of America as an American Indian Tribe...

 in Washington, where they form part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is recognized by the United States government as an American Indian Tribe

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

.

The Methow now speak English. Their endangered language, known as Colville-Okanagan

Colville-Okanagan language

Colville-Okanagan is a Salish language which arose among the inhabitants of the Okanagan River Basin and spread into the Columbia River Basin. Following British, American, and Canadian colonization during the 1800s and the subsequent repression of all Salishan languages, the use of...

, spoken only by older adults, is a part of the Southern Interior Salish

Interior Salish

The Interior Salish languages are one of the two main subgroups of the Salishan language family, the other being Coast Salish. It can be further subdivided into Northern and Southern Interior Salish...

linguistic branch.