"Washington Klootchman" Poses for Photo at Matsura's Studio, ca. 1910

Description: 

A Native American woman, or "Klootchman" in Chinook jargon, poses for her portrait at Matsura's studio. She wears a shawl over a polka-dot dress, and carries abeaded handbag. Her hair is in braids and shells adorn her ears. Chinook jargon was used in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia as a means ofcommunication between different bands themselves and white settlers. It contains elements of both French and English, and native languages of the northwest. Atmost the vocabulary ran to eight hundred words, but this was sufficient for most communication. Matsura uses it here as the title for this postcard.