The Chetco and Tututni spoke dialects of the same language group.
The Tututni dialects (Mishikhwutmetunne , Tututni, Chasta Costa), and the Chetco dialect of the Tolowa language are all members of the Pacific branch of the Athapaskan language family. Other southwestern Oregon tribes and bands, including the Upper Umpqua, Upper Coquille, Kwatami, Yukichetunne, Chemetunne, Mikonotunne, Chasta Costa, Chetleshin, Khwaishtunnetunne, Galice, and Applegate, also spoke dialects of the Athapaskan language
Once spoken by nearly 10,000 people, as of the early 2000s, only four people remained who could speak the language, including two elders in ill health
We hope to access funding to help preserve our language and heritage. We would like to hold language classes at Gold Beach, and also develop a pilot language project at Agness.
Language Resources: