Cheechako (Alaska Term)

Cheechako means a newcomer or tenderfoot in Alaska and the Yukon. The Dictionary of American Regional English records it as a Pacific Northwest and Alaska term, and an analysis of its origin ties it to Chinuk Wawa and the Klondike gold rush.[1]

Meaning and origin

The source proposes that the word comes from the Chinuk Wawa phrase chxí cháku, roughly recent past come here, which after a noun such as man forms a clause meaning a man who just came here. It suggests that English speakers clipped this noun phrase into one word during the gold rushes. The dictionary’s 1955 gloss attributes it to Northwest Coast Indian words meaning to come lately.[1]

Spread through the Klondike

Early quotations tie the word mainly to the Klondike and Alaska gold rushes, which were staged largely through Southeast Alaska ports, and spellings varied widely at first. The earliest dictionary quotation is from the Chicago Record on March 2, 1897, spelled Chechaco. Others include Spurr’s 1900 Through the Yukon Gold Diggings, the 1901 Pall Mall Magazine and Jack London’s 1905 White Fang, and by the mid-20th century the spelling had standardised, possibly influenced by London.[1]

Cheechako and sourdough

London’s 1905 passage contrasts newcomers, known as chechaquos, who made bread with baking powder, with the Sour-doughs, the experienced old-timers. A 1939 quotation pairs Sourdoughs and Cheechakoes in the same way. The word is not necessarily derisive in Alaska.[1]

FAQs

What does cheechako mean? A newcomer or tenderfoot.

Where does the word come from? Probably from the Chinuk Wawa phrase for recently come.

What is the opposite of a cheechako? A sourdough.

Sources

1. Chinook Jargon: Cheechako entered English via the Klondike

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue