December 1894: “Our Monthly Budget” (Part 2 of 3 — Advent, and how to address letters)
Explaining new religious ideas to Native people involved trying to use their languages…
Image credit: Government of BC on Youtube
…Here we find words in 2 languages that don’t appear in any dictionaries that I have of them!
Whatever you think about the religious ideas below, and how they were pushed onto Native communities, there’s a very large amount of excellent Chinuk Wawa here.
At the bottom is some good advice for anyone sending letters written in Chinuk Pipa!
Practice, and learn.
This comes from Kamloops Wawa #123 (December 1894), page 200.
< Holy time of Advent. > Ukuk lakit Sondi ilip kopa
‘These 4 weeks before’Krismas klaska nim Advint, kakwa pus wawa kopa Tomson: “inshkiiim*” pi
‘Christmas, their name is Advent, meaning in Thompson (Nɬeʔkepmxcín Salish) “n-s-k’y’-ém*“, and’kopa Shushwap “nishshklom*”; mamuk wit < Wait >. Kakwa pus wawa
‘in Shuswap (Secwepemctsín Salish) “n-s-ts-k’l-em*“; waiting. It’s like saying’wiht “alki chako.” < X > Alki chako S[ahali] T[aii] tanas kopa msaika; mamuk
‘also “eventually it will happen”. X Eventually God the child will come to you folks; clean’tlus msaika tomtom. < X > Ankati tilikom aias tiki nanich ST tanas
‘up your hearts. X The oldtime folks badly wanted to see God the child’chako kopa ukuk ilihi: klaska olo tomtom kopa iaka. < 4 000 > sno
‘come to this earth: they were hungry-hearted for it. For 4,000 years’klaska olo tomtom pus nanich ST tanas.. lakit tawsan sno
‘they’ve been hungry-hearted to see God the child… four thousand years.’Kakwa nsaika iskom lakit Sondi… kakwa pus tawsan sno iht Sondi.
‘So we take 4 weeks…it’s as if one week is a thousand years.’Kopa Krismas kakwa pus nsaika wiht nanich Sh[isyu] K[ri] chi iaka
‘At Christmas it’s as if we’re again seeing Jesus Christ (when) he’s newly’tanas: pi nawitka, iaka tiki chako tanas kopa nsaika tomtom:
‘born: and in fact he wants to be born in our hearts:’kakwa nsaika iskom ukuk lakit Sondi pus mamuk tlus nsaika tomtom
‘so we take these 4 weeks to fix up our hearts’pi nsaika iskom ShK kopa nsaika tomtom.
‘and we take Jesus Christ into our hearts.’Pi ikta mamuk ShK chako tanas kopa ukuk ilihi? Ikta mamuk
‘And why did Jesus Christ get born on this earth? Why’wiht iaka tiki chako kopa nsaika tomtom? Iaka ukuk, pus iaka
‘does he want to come again into our hearts? It’s this, for him to’hilp nsaika pus tolo sahali ilihi, kah alki kwanisim nsaika
‘help us to earn heaven, where some day we’ll always’nanich iaka pi yutl nsaika tomtom kanamokst iaka. Kakwa nsaika wiht
‘see him and our hearts will be glad together with him. That’s why we also’tomtom kata alki nsaika pus nsaika mimlus, pi nsaika tlus nanich
‘think how we’ll be some day when we die, and we’re careful’pus wik kansih wiht nsaika mamuk masachi; pus kwanisim
‘not to do evil things again; so that we’re always’alki nsaika tlus pi wik nsaika kwash pus nsaika mimlus.
‘good in the future and we won’t be afraid for ourselves to die.’< First week. > Kopa ukuk Advint nsaika nanich kata lisash
‘In this Advent we see how the angel’Sin Gabriil chako wawa kopa tlus Mari, pi tlus Mari chako ST
‘Saint Gabriel came to talk to Blessed Mary, and Blessed Mary became God’tanas iaka mama. Nain mun ST tanas mitlait kopa tlus Mari, tlus
‘the child’s mother. For 9 months God the child was in Blessed Mary, (and) Blessed’Mari lolo ST tanas kanawi kah iaka klatwa…drit aias haha
‘Mary carried God the child everywhere she went…she’s really very holy’alta tlus Mari…msaika komtaks ⊕ [likalisti] iaka haws, sahali kopa
‘now, Blessed Mary is…you folks know the eucharist housing, on top of’lotil kopa styuil haws: aias haha ukuk tanas haws. Wiht
‘the altar in the church: that little house is very holy. She too’kakwa tlus Mari kopa ukuk nain mun iaka lolo ST tanas. ShK mitlait
‘was like that, Blessed Mary was, during those 9 months she was carrying God the child. Jesus Christ was’kopa iaka kakwa iaka mitlait kopa ⊕ haws.
‘inside of her like he’s in the eucharist housing.’Ikta mamuk ankati tilikom wik klaska mamuk ashnu kopa tlus
‘Why did the oldtime people not kneel to Blessed’Mari? Wik klaska komtaks kata tlus Mari: klaska tomtom pus
‘Mary? They didn’t realize how special Mary was: they thought maybe’klahawiam tanas kluchmin iaka…pi nsaika komtaks kata aias
‘she was some poor young woman…but we know how very’haha tlus Mari, ST iaka mama iaka, kakwa nsaika ashnu kopa iaka,
‘holy Blessed Mary is, she’s God’s mother, so we kneel to her,’nsaika mamuk haha ST tanas mitlait kopa iaka…nsaika patlach
‘we worship God the child who was inside her…we give’nsaika tomtom kopa iaka…nsaika nanich kopa nsaika tomtom,
‘our hearts to her…we see in our hearts,’nsaika nanich kah tlus Mari chako kopa oihat, nsaika ashnu
‘we see where Blessed Mary came along the road, we kneel’wik saia ukuk oihat pus nsaika mamuk haha ST tanas
‘beside that path so we can worship God the child’mitlait kopa tlus Mari…
‘who is inside Blessed Mary…’< Second Week. > Nanich kata tlus Mari pus iaka klatwa
‘Look at how Blessed Mary is as she goes’kopa Sint Ilisabit iaka haws…ayu lisash klatwa kanamokst iaka
‘to Saint Elizabeth’s house…lots of angels go with her’kopa oihat…klaska mamuk haha klaska taii mitlait kopa tlus
‘on the road…they worship their chief who is inside Blessed’Mari…nanich kata tlus Mari wawa klahawiam kopa Sint Ilisabit,
‘Mary…see how Blessed Mary says hello to Saint Elizabeth,’pi Sint Ilisabit chako patl iaka tomtom kopa tlus…iaka chako
‘and Saint Elizabeth’s heart is filled with goodness…she finds’komtaks pus tlus Mari iaka ST tanas iaka mama…iaka chako
‘out that Blessed Mary seems to be God the child’s mother…she gets’kakwa pus kwash kopa tlus Mari…nanich tlus Mari kata iaka mamuk kikuli
‘sort of afraid of Blessed Mary…see Blessed Mary, how she humbles’iaka tomtom…iaka mamuk hilp kopa Sint Ilisabit, iaka mamuk tlus iaka
‘her (own) heart…she helps out Saint Elizabeth, she fixes up her’haws, mamuk hilp kopa iaka makmak, kanawi ikta kopa haws, kakwa kanawi
‘house, helping with her food, everything around the house, like all’kluchmin mamuk…iaka mamuk nanich (Ø) kopa nsaika pus nsaika kwanisim
‘women do…she shows it to us so we can always’kikuli tomtom, pus kwanisim nsaika mamuk pus wik kansih nsaika lisi.
‘be humble-hearted, so we can always work to never be lazy.’< Third week. > Nanich Mari mitlait kopa Nasarit, wik lili pi
‘See Mary staying at Nazareth, it won’t be long until’iaka chako iaka tanas, iht son iaka kolan pus taii Ogyust iaka wawa pus
‘her child comes, one day she hears supposedly the chief August(us) said for’klaska klatwa kopa Bitliim patlach klaska nim kopa taii, aiak iaka klatwa.
‘them to go to Bethlehem to give their names to the chief, she hurries there.’Nanich Mari kopa Bitliim oihat…iaka mash Nasarit pi sinmokst son
‘See Mary on the Bethlehem road…she left Nazareth and for seven days’iaka kuli pi iaka k’o kopa Bitliim…ayu wiht tilikom kuli kopa oihat
‘she travels until she reaches Bethlehem…many other people are traveling on the road’pi wik klaska komtaks klaksta ukuk tlus Mari…klaska ayu wawa
‘but they don’t know who this Blessed Mary is…they talk a lot’kanamokst, wik saia alta ST tanas chako kopa ilihi, pi
‘among themselves, that soon now God the child will come to the earth, but’wik klaska komtaks, drit sitkom kopa klaska mitlait ST tanas iaka
‘they don’t know, right there among them is God-the-child’s’mama…pi lisash komtaks ukuk: klaska kuli kanamokst tlus Mari…
‘mother…but the angels know this: they travel with Blessed Mary…’klaska mamuk aias taii iaka…tlus wiht msaika kakwa…tlus
‘they treat her as a great chief…you folks should be like that…you’msaika kwanisim kuli tomtom kopa tlus Mari, nanich kata iaka klatwa
‘folks should always direct your thoughts to Blessed Mary, see how she went’kopa Bitliim oihat…iaka lolo ST tanas…iaka patl iaka tomtom
‘along the Bethlehem road…she carried God the child…her heart was filled’kopa ST…tlus wiht msaika kakwa pus msaika tiki iskom ⊕.
‘with God…you folks should also be like that when you intend to receive communion.’< Fourth week. > Nanich tlus Mari k’o kopa Bitliim…Bitliim tawn
‘See Blessed Mary arriving at Bethlehem…the town of Bethlehem’iaka patl tilikom…kopit kopa iktas klaska tomtom, pi kopa pli, kopa
‘is full of people…only about (material) things are they thinking, and about playing around, (and) about’tlus makmak…Mari kanamokst Shosif aias klahawiam, tiki tlap iht
‘good food…Mary along with Joseph is very poor, wanting to find some’haws kah klaska slip, pi wik kata…ilo klaska chikmin, kakwa tilikom
‘house where they can sleep, but it’s not possible…they have no money, so the people’wik tlus nanich kopa klaska…ukuk tilikom kopa Bitliim, iktas klaska
‘don’t pay any respect to them…these people in Bethlehem, they’re material-‘tomtom, kakwa klaska mamuk ihpui klaska haws kopa ST iaka tanas.
‘minded, so they close their houses to God’s child.’Shosif pi Mari ayu sik klaska tomtom, klaska kilapai kopa oihat
‘Joseph and Mary’s hearts are very sad, they return on the road’tanas saia kopa tawn…iawa klaska tlap iht musmus haws;
‘a little past town…there they find a barn;’kopa ukuk musmus haws, sitkom pulakli, ShK chako tanas.
‘in that barn, at midnight, Jesus Christ is born.’Aias haha alta ukuk musmus haws…kakwa ⊕ haws alta
‘That barn is now very holy…it’s like the eucharist house now,’ukuk musmus haws…ST tanas chi chako kopa ilihi. Iaka
‘that barn is…God the child was just born on earth. He’mitlait kopa ukuk musmus haws…nanich kata tlus Mari iaka
‘is staying at that barn…see how Blessed Mary’mamuk haha kopa iaka tanas, kata iaka aias tiki iaka, kata
‘makes worship to her child, how she loves him, how’iaka patlach iaka tomtom kopa iaka…iaka tanas ukuk, pi iaka
‘she gives her heart to him…this is her child, and he is’ST iaka…mamuk kakwa tlus Mari, kopa msaika tomtom, mamuk
‘her god…do like Blessed Mary, in your hearts, make’haha kopa ShK, mamuk paia msaika tomtom kopa ShK, patlach
‘worship to Jesus Christ, light your hearts on fire for Jesus Christ, give’msaika tomtom kopa ShK.
‘your hearts to Jesus Christ.’
< B.C. > < X > Pus msaika mamuk tsim ukuk ilihi iaka nim
‘When you folks write this country’s name’mamuk tsim < B.C. >, ilo mamuk tsim Bisi.
‘write “B.C.” (in English), don’t write Bisi (in Chinuk Pipa).’
