1897: The Pollydiem
This opinionated Washington state newspaper might not be so interesting, if it weren’t so rooted in the frontier era.
The colorful political name-calling that the venerable Standard indulged in made use of Chinook Jargon, like a pioneer would.
But in this case, it’s quoting another newspaper’s Chinuk Wawa tirade against the Standard, while making fun of that paper’s title…and the governor’s.
Of course the editor didn’t need to provide an English translation, in that time and place.
THE Pollydiem is so much enraptured with our classical Chinook that it uses the same expressions applied to his accidency as invective against the STANDARD. Hear its piping voice:
” ‘Ugh! Ugh! Big Injun me, of the Puyallups, me scalpum bill; me hyas tye [‘big chief’]; me memaloose hyu Boston man [‘kill lots of White people’].’ Have a care, brother, else you may smash your fingers instead of the peanut.”
All right Polly. We’ll risk the fingers in you’ll “chance” the peanut.
— from the Olympia (WA) Washington Standard of April 16, 1897, page 2, column 4
Not only is that Chinook accurate, but its pidgin-style English is also realistically Jargon-tinged. (“Big Injun me” parallels Chinook Jargon hayash sawash nayka.)
The “Pollydiem” was also ridiculed as the “Pollywaups” by the Standard. It may have been referencing its major competitotr newspaper locally, the Olympia Pioneer [and Democrat].
“His accidency” was Governor John Rogers.
