1900 letter: A Native Donation to a favourite band
One of the very few times I’ve seen any Kwak’wala (“Kwakiutl”) word used in a Chinook Jargon environment!
John D. Halverson’s Nanaimo Concert Band (image credit: Nanaimo News Bulletin)
This, despite certain published rumours that CJ’s vocabulary contained some significant Kwak’wala component.
The word is spelled alakasla by today’s letter-writer. That’s ‘goodbye’, now written as halakas’la / həlakasl’a (I believe) in the modern orthographies. The writer’s name is given as Klaquatsie, which also sounds Kwak’wala.
A minor puzzle: the Vancouver Island town of Nanaimo is usually talked of as Coast Salish country, not Kwakwaka’wakw; but it was a major multiethnic gathering spot in BC’s frontier era, like Victoria and New Westminster.
Here’s the untranslated Chinook letter. I’ll give more information after you have a look at it, but I can tell you right away that it’s an open letter to a much-loved local bandmaster:
A Native Donation.
Nanaimo, Illahie.
J.D. HALVERSON, Esq.
NANICH. — Micka hyas klosh tin-tin tellicums wa-wa kopa hyou Siwash, kloosh spose mika potlach chickamin, nesika tickie makook chee ictas. Spose yaka wa-wa kawkwa kopa nika, klonas — nika potlach hyou chickamin. Yaka halo wa-wa, pe nika chako hyou solleks alta, pe kopa nika potlach moxt tollah kopa okook fund. Konoway Siwash kopa okook illahie klap hyas klosh tum tum kopa mika, konomoxt mika tin-tin tellicums.
Nanich! spose halo mika cumtux okook chinook wa-wa kloosh spose mika mash okook tsum kopa pire pe halo wa-wa klaksta.
Alakasla,
Mica tellicum,
“KLAQUATSIE.”
— from the Nanaimo Daily News of February 12, 1900, page 2, column 3
Here’s the promised deeper look into the text:
Nanaimo, Illahie.
nənéymo*-ílihi.
Nanaimo-place.
‘Nanaimo Reserve.’
J.D. HALVERSON, Esq.
NANICH. — Micka hyas klosh tin-tin tellicums wa-wa kopa hyou Siwash, kloosh spose mika
nánich. — mayka hayas-ɬúsh tíntin-tílixam-s wáwa kʰupa háyú sáwásh, ɬúsh spus mayka
look. — your very-good music-person-s say to Native.person, good if you.folks
‘Your excellent musicians say to many Natives, “You should…’
potlach chickamin, nesika tickie makook chee ictas. Spose yaka wa-wa kawkwa kopa nika,
pá(t)lach chíkʰəmin, nsayka tíki mákuk chxí íkta-s. spus yaka wáwa kákwa kʰupa nayka,
give money, we want buy new thing-s. if (s)he say like.that to me,
‘…give some money, we want to buy new uniforms.” If they said that to me,’
klonas — nika potlach hyou chickamin. Yaka halo wa-wa, pe nika chako hyou solleks alta, pe kopa
t’ɬúnas nayka pá(t)lach háyú chíkʰəmin. yaka hílu wáwa, pi nayka chaku-hayu-sáliks álta, pi kʰupa
maybe I give much money. (s)he not say, and I become-very-angry now, and to/for
‘I might give a lot of money. They haven’t said it, and I’m getting real mad now, but for [?false start?]‘
nika potlach moxt tollah kopa okook fund. Konoway Siwash kopa okook illahie klap hyas
nayka pá(t)lach mákwst tála kʰupa úkuk fə́nd*. kánawi sáwásh kʰupa úkuk ílihi t’ɬáp-hayas-
I give two dollar for that fund. all Native.person in this place find-very
‘I’m giving $2 for that fund. All the Natives in this place have gotten quite’
klosh tum tum kopa mika, konomoxt mika tin-tin tellicums.
(k)ɬúsh-tə́mtəm kʰupa mayka, kʰánumákwst mayka tíntin-tílixam-s.
good-heart for you, together.with your music-person-s.
‘fond of you, along with your musicians.’
Nanich! spose halo mika cumtux okook chinook wa-wa kloosh spose mika mash okook tsum kopa
nánich! spus hílu mayka kə́mtəks úkuk chinúk-wáwa(,) (k)ɬúsh spus mayka másh úkuk t’sə́m kʰupa
look! if not you understand this Chinook-talk, good if you throw this writing in
‘Look! If you don’t understand this Chinook talk, you should toss this letter into’
pire pe halo wa-wa klaksta.
páya pi hílu wáwa (k)ɬáksta.
fire and not tell who.
‘the fire and don’t tell anyone.’
Alakasla,
Mica tellicum,
mayka tílixam,
your friend,
‘Your friend’
“KLAQUATSIE.”
Few Native people were literate in the BC of 1900, but this letter may indeed have been written by a Kwakwaka’wakw. The Chinuk Wawa grammar is of high fluency, for example in using klap for the inception of a mental state, and using yaka as a plural, ‘they’.
But possible indications of a Settler speaker/writer are the English-style plural on tellicums, and the use of spose for ‘if’. There’s also the fact of many words being spelled in the de facto standard way seen in lots of commercially published Jargon dictionaries, although there’s plenty of idiosyncrasy here too.
If the writer was a non-Native, (s)he was no less excellent at Chinooking. If Native, (s)he had some direct contact with Settlers; not a stunning observation, that one.
The phrase tin-tin tellicums for ‘musicians’ is new to us. It makes sense. Tíntin, originally a ‘bell’ and then a ‘musical instrument’, eventually meant ‘music’ in general. So this is ‘musical-instrument-people’, and would be easily understood in that age of popular brass-band concerts. It may well be the term that many people really used in this part of BC.
Put it all together — today’s letter is quite a lovely find!
