Tsałt'eshi

Following up on my earlier post about the Sonot Kkaazoot ski race in Fairbanks, here is another example of the convergence of skiing and Alaska Native languages.

The Tsałt'eshi Ski Trails at Skyview High School in Soldotna take their name from a local Dena'ina Athabascan place name.

The word tsałt'eshi itself literally means something like 'black stone axe', derived from the root tsał referring to chopping and the root -t'eshi 'black one'. (Compare the Dena'ina word elt'eshi for 'black bear'; literally 'black one'.) The barred-l symbol denotes a sound which is similar to "l" but is made with air passing around the sides of the tongue. The apostrophe following the "t" denotes a glottalized or ejective sound, produced with a "popping" noise following the release of the tongue. Since neither the barred-l nor the glottalized-t occur in English, most writers simply substitute a plain-l for the barred-l and omit the apostrophe altogether. Thus the spelling "Tsalteshi" on the trail sign.

The Tsałt'eshi Trails regularly host regional and statewide ski races, and they were the cross-country venue for the 2006 Arctic Winter Games. It's great to see a Native name receiving such prominence. Many thanks to Tsalteshi Trails Association Board of Directors chair Alan Boraas for his tireless efforts to promote recognition of the Dena'ina heritage of the Kenai Peninsula.

Now I just have to get down there and ski!

http://www.tsalteshi.org/