1900, Shelton, WT: Anonymous public invitation in Chinook
This is a great addition to our “Jargon invitations” file, but…where should the guests show up?
Whoever composed this invite seems to have used their own knowledge of Chinuk Wawa, as their spellings are not all common ones.
Their grammar is identifiably Settler, not that we have any doubts there; very few Indigenous people in the Pacific Northwest in 1900 could’ve written this note.
The dialect is Northern.
The content of the note is standard for the genre, promising “lots of” this & that, including of course fun.
When I share clippings from old newspapers, you know I like to check whether the newspaper editor supplied a translation of the Chinook Jargon.
If no, the intended audience was assumed to understand the message.
So…
But today I’ll provide you a modern Grand Ronde-style spelling of the text, as well as a suggested translation into English.
TILLICUM:
Kloshe spose mesikah
łúsh spus msayka
good if you.folks
‘Please’
nanich okoke nikah wawa.
nánich úkuk nayka wáwa.
look.at these my words
‘read these words of mine.’Nah! Nikah ticky con-
ná! nayka tíki kʰán-
hey! I want all
‘Hey! I want all’
away mesikah chaco copa ni-
awi msayka cháku kʰupa nay-
you.folks come to my
‘of you to come to my’
kah town (Shelton) pe nanich
ka tʰáwn (shéltən*) pi nánich
town (Shelton) and see
‘town (Shelton) and visit’
hiew tillicum, pe klata-wa ko-
háyú tílixam, pi łátwa kʰu-
many people, and go to
‘lots of people, and go to’
pa hias house pe cumtux hiew
pa háyás(h) háws pi kə́mtəks háyú
big house and hear much
‘a hall and listen to lots of’
chata pe hiew he-he. Spose
sháti* pi háyú híhi. spus
song and much laugh. when
‘music and laugh a lot. When’
chaco sitkum polikely nisika
cháku sítkum-púlakʰli nsayka
comes middle-night we
‘midnight comes we’ll’
iscum hiew klosh mucka muck.
ískam háyú łúsh mə́kʰmək.
receive much good food.
‘be served lots of good food.’
Delaight nika wa-wa.
dléyt* nayka wáwa.
straight my words.
‘I mean it.’
— from the Shelton (Washington Territory) Mason County Journal of September 28, 1900, page 3, column 3
Bonus fact:
The source of the invitation is probably one of the usual suspects, the Improved Order of Red Men club. The same page of the newspaper tells us:
Look out for your scalps Saturday
night, three tribes of Red Men will be
down from Tacoma for the dance.
The first frost ot the season came
Tuesday morning and is fast turning
green into ‘‘sere and yellow leaf.”
Come out and join the Republican
club at G. A. R. Hall to night. All
are invited.
“G.A.R.” is the Grand Army of the Republic, another men’s club.
