Monthly Archive: December, 2022

Leland’s funny irony

Charles G. Leland inserted fake cussin’ in his otherwise fairly accurate 1888 article “Der Chinook-Jargon“.

How many “HOWH” in Chinook Jargon?

In our Facebook “Chinook Jargon” group the other day, Greg Cleveland quoted his late grandfather as addressing him and other kids decades ago with “Howh klat’-a-wa.”

NW Coast ‘cat’ discoveries: English and ¡Spanish! loans

Languages of the northern Pacific Northwest coast have an odd form of word for ‘cat’, in all 3 unrelated language families:

1901: The new JP astonished the [Native people]

In BC, Chinook Jargon stayed in use more vigorously and longer than it did south of the border.

‘Strolling’ through Chinuk Wawa dialects

My thanks go to reader Darrin Brager for inspiring this post.

Boxing Day bonus: chinookjargon.com’s Xmas roundup, 2011-2021

As a seasonal bonus for you folks, here’s a look back at the Chinook Jargon of Christmas past!

1948: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh chief Andy Paull’s Xmas message in Chinook

Here’s another fun Christmas-related bit of Chinuk Wawa, courtesy of reader Darrin Brager!

1897: Owen Wister Xmas story w/doggerel

“It is Christmas Day on the cattle ranch at the Malheur agency…” So starts Part IV of a serially published piece of post-frontier cowboy fiction by the renowned Owen Wister.

1951: Xmas note from Chief Andy Paull

Wikipedia tells us “Andy Paull, (Andrew Paull, Xwechtáal, Xwupúkinem, Quitchtaal) (February 6, 1892 – July 28, 1959) was a Squamish leader, activist, coach, and lawyer.”

1898: Xmas with the zesty North Yakima “Epigram”

North Yakima, Washington, was a feisty boomtown in its day, and it had an aptly-titled newspaper to go with that attitude.