1911: Celebrate for Chief Seattle

“Presentation at an early Chief Seattle Days” (image source: Suquamish Indian Tribe)

The beginning of Chief Seattle Days in Suquamish naturally involved a Chinuk Wawa speech…

…made by an overlooked authority on the Jargon.

Father Paul Gard is credited as the author (or maybe technically co-author, with his predecessor, the famous or infamous Eugene Casimir Chirouse) a manuscript dictionary of Chinook Jargon that I’ve not yet seen, although it was already known of quite long ago.

I think I first read of it in J.C. Pilling’s 1893 bibliography.

It was made use of by compilers of other CJ dictionaries in the Seattle area, bolstering our impression that Gard was considered an expert.

At any rate, clearly Chinook Jargon (which Chief Seattle famously rejected) played a part in Chief Seattle Days from the beginning.

Read on:

CELEBRATE FOR CHIEF SEATTLE

What may become an annual cause for celebration will have a good start at Port Madison Indian reservation next Saturday.

The anniversary of Chief Seattle‘s birthday is to be celebrated with song and story. C[yrus].B[eede]. Pickerell [1861?-1936], former Indian agent, is arranging the details of the celebration, the general idea being promoted by [pharmacist] H[enry].E[lliott]. Holmes.

Seattle folks who want to help do homage to the memory of Chief Seattle may take the steamer Hyack [Hyak, háyáq ‘speedy’] from Pier 4 at 10 o’clock Saturday morning. The steamer returns at 6:30 p.m. One of the features of the program will be an address in the Chinook jargon by Rev. Father [Paul] Gard of the [St. Peter’s Catholic] Suquamish mission.

— from the Seattle (WA) Star of August 23, 1911, page 6, columns 4-5

What have you learned?
Ikta mika chako kumtux?