Kamloops + other residential schools, as reported to Native people in Chinook (Part 6: Williams Lake, 1895)
Today, we hear from the little-known mini-newspaper, the Williams Lake (BC) Sugarcane Tintin (“Sugarcane Bell”).
The girls who Sugarcane Tintin was afraid to visit (image credit: Wikipedia)
Sugarcane Tintin, here speaking in the first person, discusses a visit to the then still new Mission (i.e. residential) school of Williams Lake, where he sees the products of Native boys learning trades.
This is one of the first detailed descriptions that we have in Chinuk Wawa of the various skills being taught to the kids at these schools.
Klaska
‘They’mamuk nanich kanawi ikta kopa naika: naika klatwa kopa skul
‘showed everything to me: I went to the school’haws, naika shik hanc ayu tanas man, < 20 > klaska, naika klatwa
‘buildings, I shook hands (with) many boys, 20 of them, (and) I went’kopa shop haws pi mitlait aias tlus harnis, aias tlus sadl
‘to the shop building and there were excellent harnesses, (and) very good saddles,’tanas man mamuk; naika klatwa kopa agrikyultyur shop kah naika nanich
‘that the young men had made; I went to the agriculture shop where I saw’ayu tanas tlus iktas, wiht tanas man mamuk. Klaska tiki
‘many little good things, also made by the boys. They wanted’pus naika klatwa nanich iht aias haws kah mitlait ayu
‘for me to go see another big house where there live many’tanas kluchmin kopa skul, < 21 > klaska, pi wik naika tiki, naika
‘girls at the school, 21 of them, but I didn’t want to, I’kwash pi naika wawa: “Naika tiki aiak klatwa, saia ukuk
‘was nervous and I said, “I need to hurry off, it’s far to” ‘Kamlups.” Pi alta kanawi tanas man iskom klaska
‘Kamloops [where he was traveling to].” And then all of the boys got their’huhulitin, pi klaska pli myusik pus wawa klahawiam kopa naika.
‘instruments, and they played music to say goodbye to me.’
— Kamloops Wawa #126 (March 1895), page 36
