Danes in the Pacific NW, and Chinuk Wawa
Naika wawa mirsi kopa Dr. Peter Bakker, iaka mamuk email kopa naika ukuk son…
A picture by Niels Laurits Nielsen (image credit: dba.dk)
That is, I thank Dr. Peter Bakker, who emailed me today…
Peter sent along an excerpt from a 2013 article of his about Danes abroad that mentions Chinook Jargon. It’s quite well researched, and it turns up some material I hadn’t seen before.
Here’s the relevant passage, first in Danish, then in English:
En del danskere bosatte sig tæt på indianere. Nogle var missionærer – fx John Marken Nielsen, der bosatte sig hos cherokee’erne (J. Marken Nielsen 1983) – og man kan antage, at de har lært noget af de pågældende indianeres sprog. Men selv en dansker som Detlev Leegskov, der giftede sig med en cherokee, lærte ikke sproget, men måtte bruge tolk (J. Marken Nielsen 1983). Hans Rasmussen har beskrevet sine gode erfaringer med cree-indianere omkring Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, trods fordomme hos de lokale om indianere (K. Larsen 1912-1914, bd. 1, s. 106). Og Valborg Gertsen har tilsvarende berettet, at de “got along very well with [the Indians]”i Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada (B.F. Larsen (red.) 2000, s. 102). Wilhelm Jensen (1898-1899, s.754) fortæller, at han, da han tiltalte nogle Colville salish-indianere på engelsk, fik svaret halocumtuks ’forstår ikke’ på chinook jargon, et pidginsprog fra Norvestkysten og indlandet (G. Lang 2008; Grand Ronde, 2012), som han åbenbart forstod. Niels Laurits Nielsen havde også lært samme sprog inden 1900 (J. Marken Nielsen 1983), og nordjyden Ulrick E. Fries lærte sproget efter 1900 og citerede det hyppigt i sin bog (U.E. Fries 1951). Også i Utah var der flere danske 2.-generations-indvandrere, der lærte det lokale indianersprog. I et brev fra 1856 kan der læses, at de fleste danske børn og unge mormoner lærte temmelig godt engelsk og “indiansk” (W. Mulder 1957, s. 249, 346). Flere indianere i Nordvesten har i øvrigt danske efternavne som fx Rasmussen. Alis Pakki Chipps (født Rasmussen) flyttede som teenager til Canada, hvor hun lærte flere indianersprog, især Wakashan-sproget Dididaht. (For en kort biografi se: fischerholm.dk/winfam/wholm/per00132.htm).
Translation into English:
A number of Danes settled close to Indians. Some were missionaries – for example John Marken Nielsen, who settled with the Cherokee (J. Marken Nielsen 1983) – and it can be assumed that they learned something of the language of the Indians in question. But even a Dane like Detlev Leegskov, who married a Cherokee, did not learn the language, but had to use an interpreter (J. Marken Nielsen 1983). Hans Rasmussen has described his good experiences with Cree Indians around Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada, despite local prejudices about Indians (K. Larsen 1912-1914, vol. 1, p. 106). And Valborg Gertsen has similarly reported that they “got along very well with [the Indians]” in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada (B.F. Larsen (ed.) 2000, p. 102). Wilhelm Jensen (1898-1899, p.754) tells that when he addressed some Colville Salish Indians in English, he received the answer halocumtuks ‘does not understand’ in Chinook jargon, a pidgin language from the Northwest Coast and the interior (G. Lang 2008; Grand Ronde, 2012), which he obviously understood. Niels Laurits Nielsen had also learned the same language before 1900 (J. Marken Nielsen 1983), and Ulrick E. Fries from North Jutland learned the language after 1900 and quoted it frequently in his book (U.E. Fries 1951). In Utah, too, there were several Danish second-generation immigrants who learned the local Native American language. In a letter from 1856 it can be read that most Danish children and young Mormons learned fairly well English and “Indian” (W. Mulder 1957, pp. 249, 346). Several Indians in the Northwest also have Danish surnames such as Rasmussen. Alis Pakki Chipps (née Rasmussen) moved to Canada as a teenager, where she learned several Native American languages, especially the Wakashan language Dididaht. (For a short biography see: fischerholm.dk/winfam/wholm/per00132.htm).
Here are the pertinent references:
- Fries, U.E. 1951: From Copenhagen to Okanogan. [DDR: I’ve written extensively about this wonderful memoir.]
- Jensen, Wilhelm 1898-1899: “Indianerpigen Marinka. En oplevelse i “The far west””. Hver 8. Dag. Illustreret Familieblad, nr. 48, Søndagen den 27. August, s. 754-756. [The Indian girl Marinka. An experience in the far west.]
- Marken Nielsen, John 1983: “Our Mission to the Indians”. The Bridge, bd. 6, nr. 2, s. 5-17.
