Siletz chiefs’ speeches for back-translation into CW (Part 6 of 6)

nayka wáwa drét háyú mási kʰapa David Gene Lewis, PhD.

Image credit: Smoke Signals (I couldn’t find an image of Catfish)

Many thanks to Dr. David Gene Lewis, tribal researcher, for sharing this material on his site. I felt it deserved attention from those of us who speak Chinuk Wawa. Care to back-translate the following Siletz chief’s speech to CW?

Catfish Speaks I don’t know how it is that I am not payed for making fence around the Agents house. I think I sh0uld be payed for work that I have no use for. I knew some of my people killed them. (Indian doctors who work by charm) I killed a Doctor, and sorry for it now. And will not kill any more.

The document that this was recorded in goes on: “Note- Other speeches were made and noted down but very similar in sentiment and feeling. I have not deemed it necessary to transmit them.”

qʰata mayka təmtəm? What do you think?