Cholam Talks: The Origins of Migueleño in a Multilingual Region

Archaeological settlement CA-MNT-2328 (Cholame Valley, California) is likely the named Migueleño Salinan Rancheria of Cholam. Several areas of uncertainty about the origin of the Migueleño dialect and how it related to regional trade language(s) became apparent while trying to clarify this attribution. Multiple Salinan dialects were recognized in use at Missions San Antonio, San Miguel, and San Luis Obispo during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with variable interpretations of their associated ethnogeography. Missing or contradictory information in historical and ethnographic records cloud attribution of linguistic or cultural affiliation to archaeological settlements in areas known as travel and trade corridors.