January 1895: “Our Monthly Budget”, Part 2c (our travels; Head (of the) Lake; letter from Belgium)
From “Kamloops Wawa” #124 (January 1895), page 2, the local news in Chinuk Wawa!
Head of the Lake Indian Reserve cemetery and church, Vernon, BC (image credit: Find A Grave)
Parts of the page image that I’m working from are blurry, so you’ll see “?????” in a number of places below…
PART C
<Our travels.> Kakwa nsaika kuli ukuk kol.
‘Here’s how we’ve traveled this winter.’No. <22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28> nsaika mitlait [Ø] Tlohtaws.
‘Nov. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, we were at Bonaparte.’No. <29, 30> Di. <1, 2, 3> nsaika mitlait kopa Klinton.
‘Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 1, 2, 3, we were at Clinton.’Di. <4, 5> kopa Kamlups. <6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12> kopa
‘Dec. 4, 5 at Kamloops; 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 at’Spahamin. Di. <13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20> kopa Shulus*
‘Spahomin. Dec. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, at Shulus;’<21, 22> kopa Mamit Lik, <23> kilapai [Ø] Kamlups,
’21, 22 at Mamette Lake, 23 go back to Kamloops;’<24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31> Shanwari <1, 2, 3, 4>
’24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, January 1, 2, 3, 4′nsaika mitlait kopa Kamlups.
‘we were at Kamloops.’Shan. <5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13> kopa Nort Bind.
‘Jan. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ,10, 11, 12, 13 at North Bend (BC).’Shanwari <14, 15, 16, 17, 18>, kopa Wisminstir <X> Shanwari
‘January 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 at (New) Westminster. January’<19, 20> kopa Liton <X> Shanwri <21, 22, 23, 24> kopa Kamlups.
’19, 20 at Lytton. January 21, 22, 23, 24 at Kamloops.’<25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 1, 2> kopa Spisom.
‘The 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st; (February) 1, 2 at Spuzzum.’—–
<Head Lake.> Nsaika tlap siisim Hid Lik styuil
‘We’ve received news that the Head (of the) Lake church’haws iaka kopit alta. Chi styuil haws ukuk. Tkop man
‘is finished now. This is a new church. The White people’klaska mamuk kanawi. <7>* man mamuk kopa ukuk. Nsaika tlap
‘made the whole thing. Seven men worked on this. We’ve received’siisim pus <10> son klaska mamuk pi iaka kopit ukuk styuil
‘news saying they worked 10 days until this church was done.’haws. Ayu Hid Lik tilikom mamuk kopa Chinuk pipa pi klaska
‘Many Head (of the) Lake people are working on Chinook Writing and they’mash pipa kopa Kamlups. Alki pus wik saia Krismas Kamlups
‘send letters to Kamloops. When it’s near Christmas the Kamloops’
tilikom mamuk kilapai klaska pipa.
‘people are going to return (replies to) their letters.’
—–
<Letter from Belgium.> Wik saia kopit ukuk
‘This paper was nearly done’pipa, pi chako iht* pipa kopa saia ilihi. Iaka wawa ukuk pipa:
‘when there came a letter from abroad. This letter says,’“<1>* No. <94>. Naika* tlus tilikom, ayu pipa chako kopa msaika*.
‘ “1 Nov. ’94. My good friends, many letters have come from you folks.’Ukuk pipa patlach tlus tomtom kopa naika. Pus naika nanich kata msaika
‘These letters give me a good feeling. When I see how you’tiki ST, pi kanawi ikta* liplit wawa kopa msaika. Wiht msaika
‘love God, and everything the priest tells you. You also’tiki msaika liplit. Aias tlus ukuk. Ankati ilo liplit kopa msaika
‘love your priest. This is very good. In the past, there were no priests in your’ilihi. Wik msaika komtaks ST, liiam kakwa liplit* kopa msaika, pi
‘country. You didn’t know God, the devil was like a priest to you, and’msaika aias klahawiam. Iawa ST wawa kopa liplit, iawa kopa
‘you were very pitiful. Then God told the priest that there in’
saia ilihi, iaka nim British Kolombia, mitlait ayu tilikom, wik klaska
‘a far country called British Columbia there are lots of people who don’t’komtaks naika, naika aias* tiki* klaska, naika tanas ShK chako man
‘know me; I love them; my child Jesus was born’kopa ukuk ilihi, iaka wah kanawi iaka pilpil pus iaka tolo
‘on this earth, he spilled all of his blood to convince’ukuk tilikom pi wik klaska komtaks ukuk. Tlus maika klatwa
‘those people but they don’t know this. You need to go’mamuk komtaks kanwi ukuk kopa klaska. Pi* liplit klatwa* ?????
‘teach all of this to them. And the priest went (?????)’mash iaka papa iaka mama, kanawi ikta iaka tiki* kopa ukuk ilihi,
‘left his father (and) mother, everything he loved on this earth,’pus iaka lolo kopa msaika ST iaka wawa. Alta msaika tlus
‘to bring you folks God’s words. Now you’re good;’alta msaika tomtom chako hloima. Msaika tomtom chako ??? iaka
‘now your hearts have changed. Your hearts have gotten (????) his’haws pi msaika ????? alta*, kakwa msaika ????
‘house and you (?????) now, so you (????)’Msaika tiki msaika liplit. Mamuk hilp msaika liplit kopa styuil,
‘You love your priest. Help your priest with prayers,’wawa mirsi kopa ST iaka patlach liplit kopa msaika.
‘say thanks for God’s giving a priest to you.” ‘
