1899, Condon, OR: Cumtux invites you for coffeewater and lemons for July 4th!
Well into the post-frontier era, but solidly in north-central Oregon’s Chinuk Wawa country, there was an untranslated invitation to a July 4th party.
(A link to our huge file of Chinuk Wawa invitations.)
Image credit: Gilliam County Historical Museum
Was this one from the same pseudonymous CUMTUX who contributed lots of letters to the editors of western Oregon newspapers?
The following looks to me like Settler colonizer / rusty Chinook Jargon (take your pick), but the locals understood it back then, which is why it’s taken 125 years to have me translate it for you…
I won’t necessarily go into all the details of how this fella’s Jargon diverges from the accepted norms. I’ll just advise you not to imitate how he talks.
Close Nanage Tilicums.
Nika tum tum spose mesika, quanni-
‘My thought is for you folks al-‘
sum charco copa Condon, Sinamox Moon
‘ways to come to Condon, seventh month’Locket Sun. Hyu hee hee. Cumtux
‘fourth day. Lots of fun. The “knowing” ‘tyee, close wa wa ancotta pite.
‘asks nicely (to) the oldtime fight (people).’Pe alta totlelum man mammook tin
‘And then ten men will make mu-‘
tin. Pe hyu cultus potlatch muck-u-
‘sic. And lots of free-given food’
muck, pe hyu coppe chuck, pe lemon,
‘and lots of coffee water, and lemon(ade),’
pe quanisum ictas hyn. Pe alta charco
‘and always things a lot. And then will come’
polackly, pe hyu tance, pe elip sum
‘night, and lots of dancing, and at first sun’
copet. Wa wa konaway telicums charco.
‘it’ll end. Tell all the people, “Come there”.’Klarhium,
‘Goodbye,’CUMTUX.
‘ “He knows”.’
— from the Condon (OR) Globe of June 22, 1899, page 3, column
If you’ve taken any classes, or spent any time reading actual Jargon, you’re probably spotting problems in the above.
Nonetheless, it was a successful communication — I bet the party was a blast.
