Nameplate! Masthead! Colophon!

We interrupt this program of light travelogue (it’ll continue in my next post) for some substance.

Three years and change ago, I brought forth on this website a new nameplate, conceived in efficiency, and dedicated to the proposition that anyone can pay their subscription up and learn Chinuk pipa.  (Kamloops Wawa #146, November 1896, top & center of front page.)

(See “Bull Teams and Steam Engines“.)

At that time, I challenged my readers to figure out what the above-pictured textual density says.  Nobody was up for the challenge then.

Some of you have become fluent readers of Chinook shorthand since then, but you may have mislaid the gauntlet I threw down.  And in the intervening years of human events, it looks like I myself forgot to transcribe the whole shebang.

Here you go – –

– – but please, note that there are a number of asterisks and [ILLEGIBLE]‘s below.  These are pleas for you to check my work.  Especially the French-language section at the end.  That language in shorthand is mighty til mamuk.

[left column:]

     Ukuk pipa iaka nim Kamlups Wawa. Tanas
This paper is called Kamloops Wawa.  For a little 

lili alta iaka kuli kanawi kah kanawi
while now it has been traveling all around every 

mun iaka lolo tlus siisim kopa kanawi
month; it brings good news to every 

kah ilihi. Iaka hilp tilikom pus chako kom=
place.  It helps people to 

taks aiak mamuk cim pipa. Iaka tlus kopa
learn quickly to write.  It’s good for 

kanawi tilikom, kopa tkop tilikom, kopa tlil ti[=]
everybody, for white people, for black peo-

likom pi kopa Sawash tilikom. Wik aias makuk
ple and for Indian people.  It’s not expensive, 

ukuk pipa, kopit iht tala kopa iht sno
this paper, just a dollar for a year, 

pi pus msaika ilip patlach chikmin msaika
and if you folks give the money in advance, you 

tolo ukuk pipa kopa sitkom tala iht sno.
earn this paper for half a dollar a year.  

Tlus nanich msaika pipa: pus wik msaika
Take good care of your papers: if you don’t 

lost msaika pipa, pi iaka chako ayu kopa
misplace your paper, and it gets to be a lot for 

msaika, iawa msaika mash msaika pipa kopa
you, then you can send your papers off 

saia, pi iaka chako aias tlus buk.
far away and they’ll become a beautiful book.  

     Msaika komtaks, wik kaltash ukuk Chinuk
You understand, this Chinook 

pipa, Chinuk pipa iaka drit tlus kopa msaika.
writing isn’t a worthless thing, Chinook writing is really good for you.  

Iaka mamuk hilp msaika pus chako komtaks
It helps you to learn 

kanawi ikta. Iaka tlus pus msaika chako
all kinds of things.  It’s good for [helping] you to 

komtaks styuil, pi likatishism pi kanawi
learn prayers, and the catechism, and every-

ikta ST wawa. Iaka wiht mamuk komtaks kopa
thing God says.  It also teaches 

msaika kanawi hloima lalan.g. Kopa Chinuk pipa
you all different languages.  With Chinook writing, 

msaika chako aiak komtaks ikta: nawitka
you’ll rapidly learn things: indeed, 

tkop man pipa, kakwa bul tim, Chinuk pipa kakwa stim kar.
the white man’s writing is like a team of oxen, [but] Chinook writing is like a steam engine!

[center column:]

a o u aw wa i yu h p b t d f v k

g l r sh ch s c n ng m ã ĩ õ ə̃

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

 

[first subcolumn:]

     O ShK, maika
O Jesus Christ, you 

aias tiki 
love 

nsaika,
us, 

kakwa
so

maika
you 

mash
left 

sahali
the heavenly 

ilihi pi maika
land and you 

 

[second subcolumn:]

chako man kopa
became a man on 

ukuk ilihi
this earth; 

lili maika
for a long time you

mitlait
lived 

kopa iht haws kanamokst
in one house with 

tlus Mari pi Sin Shosif: kikuli
the blessed Mary and Saint Joseph; 

maika tomtom kopa tlus
you were humble-hearted toward the blessed 

Mari pi Sin Shosif.  Maika
Mary and Saint Joseph.  You 

ilip mamuk tlus maika haws,
first put your house in order,

pus mamuk nanich kopa naika
to show me 

kata alki naika mamuk tlus
how, later, I could put in order 

naika haws. Naika patlach
my own house.  I give 

kopa maika naika haws.
you my house. 

 

[third subcolumn, inside the loop of the title’s syllable lups:]

Tlus maika
Please, 

[ILLEGIBLE] tlus maika
______ please 

tlus nanich [ILLEGIBLE]
take care of ______

tlus maika [ILLEGIBLE]
please ______

[ILLEGIBLE]
______

 

[fourth subcolumn:]

pus nsaika kwanisim kwash tomtom kopa
so that we will always be afraid of

maika. Tlus maika patlach kopa naika
you.  Please permit my 

haws* pus kopit iht nsaika
household* that we have only one

tomtom pus kwanisim;
thought forever; 

tlus maika patlach kopa naika
please grant my 

haws pus iaka kakwa maika
house that it may be like your 

haws kopa Nasarit, pus
house at Nazareth, so that 

kanawi nsaika nsaika ko kopa
we all of us may reach 

sahali ilihi.
Heaven.  

     O tlus Mari
O blessed Mary, 

maika ShK iaka mama pi
you are Jesus Christ’s mother and 

wiht nsaika
also our 

mama
mother 

 

[fifth subcolumn, inside the left half of the first wa in the title:]

     Tlus maika styuil kopa ShK pus*
Please pray to Jesus Christ that* 

iaka iskom nsaika [ILLEGIBLE]
he may accept our [ILLEGIBLE]

pi nsaika tomtom:
and our hearts: 

tlus maika styuil
please pray 

kopa ShK pus iaka
to Jesus Christ that he 

patlach makmak* pus
may give food* for 

nsaika [ILLEGIBLE] pus
us [ILLEGIBLE] for- 

kwanisim*
ever.

 

[sixth subcolumn, inside smaller loop of first wa in title:]

O
Oh

tlus
blessed 

Mari!
Mary!

 

[seventh subcolumn:]

O maika
Oh you 

Sin
Saint 

Sho[=]
Jo-

sif
seph

mai[=]
it was

ka
you 

ia[=]
that 

ka
he

is[=]
picked 

kom
out, 

ST
God did, 

pus maika
for you to 

 

[eighth subcolumn, inside left-hand part of second wa in title:]

tlus
take 

nanich
care of 

ShK pi tlus
Jesus Christ and the blessed 

Mari kopa ukuk ilihi.
Mary on this earth.  

Tlus maika mamuk hilp
Please help 

nsaika pus nsaika
us so that we may 

mamuk taii ShK
honour Jesus Christ 

kopa nsaika haws
in our homes.  

Tlus maika
Please 

 

[ninth subcolumn, inside small loop of second wa in title:]

O
Oh 

tlus
blessed 

Sin
Saint 

Shosif*
Joseph

 

[tenth subcolumn:]

Kana*
???

tlus*
good

mak*
food*

ma*
???

[ILLEGIBLE]
______

pus
so that 

[ILLEGIBLE]
______

nsaika
our 

styuil
prayers 

kopa
to 

ST.
God.  

a b k [or] s d i f g [or] sh h i ch k l

m n o p k r s t yu v yu ks ai [or] i c

 

[right column:]

     <Français.> S papie s nom
In French:This paper is called 

Kamlups Wawa. Vwala deja <4>*
Kamloops Wawa.  Look, it’s already 4 

ane kil kur pur* l mõd. Shak mwa
years that it’s been traveling around the world.  Each month 

il port de bon parol dã* tu le pei.
it brings good news to all countries.  

     Il aprã a se lektər a lir avek
It teaches its readers to read with  

rapidite. S papie e yutil a
speed.  This paper is useful for 

tus, o blã om o nwar [ILLEGIBLE]str[ILLEGIBLE]
everyone, to the white man, to the black [ILLEGIBLE] 

o sovash. L pri d s papie e biĩ
to the Indian.  The price of this paper is quite 

modere: səlmã <5> frã pur ane.
moderate: only 5 francs a year.  

E si no sovash pei a lavãs, il
And if our Indians pay in advance, they 

lobtãdrõ pur* l mwatie d s pri.
will receive it for half of this price.  

Prne swĩ d vo papie: d [ILLEGIBLE] sort* vu
Take care of your papers: in this way* you 

ore a* fer riĩ kã* vu ã ori boku e* kã* vu*
will not* have anything* [more] to do when you have a lot of them and when you 

ore isi d* bo livr.
will have a handsome book here.  

     No* [ILLEGIBLE] sav* d* kil yutilite* [ILLEGIBLE]
Our* Indians* know* how useful* 

la stenografi: e* vwa [ILLEGIBLE]
the shorthand is: and see* [ILLEGIBLE] 

ĩtelishã* d* l biĩ aprãdr* la* stenografi.
intelligent* to* learn shorthand well.  

La dshule* yutil a le* ã* kontr* [ILLEGIBLE] lãtier
The ______ [ILLEGIBLE] the whole 

prier*; lãtier kateshism, la parl* d dip*,
prayer; the whole catechism, the _____, 

e mem le lãg difrãt de [ILLEGIBLE]. A led
and even the different languages of [ILLEGIBLE].  With the help 

d la stenografi [ILLEGIBLE] avek l [ILLEGIBLE].
of shorthand [ILLEGIBLE] with the [ILLEGIBLE].  

No sovash [ILLEGIBLE] kõprãn kom il fo: [ILLEGIBLE]
Our Indians [ILLEGIBLE] understand perfectly well: [ILLEGIBLE]  

ekrityur* se* la* [ILLEGIBLE], la stenografi se l shmĩ d fer.
writing is [ILLEGIBLE], the shorthand is a railroad.  

Whew!

Send me your suggestions, questions too.  All of it helps prod my mind toward figuring out this tangle of words.