1914: With the Indians of British Columbia
Read between the racially tinged lines of this glowing report on Father JMR Le Jeune of “Kamloops Wawa” fame…
…And you can make out some amazing conversations that were taking place in Chinook Jargon.
Back-translation, anyone?
I found this in a Minnesota newspaper, apparently reprinted from the BC Western Catholic:
WITH THE INDIANS OF BRITISH
COLUMBIA.Father LeJeune, O. M. I., whose
headquarters are at Kamloops, British
Columbia, sends an interesting letter
to the B. C. Western Catholic on his
Indian work. From its contents it
appears that the hard-working Oblate,
who is styled the Grand Old Man of
the Kamloops area, is as zealous in
his old age [59 years old! — DDR] as he was when he first
took up the apostolic burden of mak-
ing converts to the Faith. Around the
Kamloops reservations, writes the
Father, the Communions during Holy
Week numbered 1,300, surely a result
to be proud of. Quite a number of
Indians receive Holy Communion on
every opportunity, which is very edi-
fying to the hardworking priest who,
in sunshine and storm, is at their serv-
ice to teach them the way to Heaven.
Father LeJeune is pardonably proud
of his Indian people, and is sure
that he could produce about 600 daily
Communicants were they in a settled
parish. Recently, Father LeJeune re-
turned from Head Lake. There the
Indians are not all faithful, a consid-
erable proportion being somewhat in
different to their spiritual duties,
though fully 100 of them are regular
in complying with the laws of the
Church. Father LeJeune got to know
these Indians about two years ago, and
found that they had not been blessed
with a call from a priest for many
years. Under these circumstances it
cannot be wondered at that their faith
was weak, but, thanks to the earnest
Catholicity of the chief, and the
Father’s untiring efforts, much good
work has been accomplished. The
old chief, however, was too good a
Catholic and too earnest for the wel-
fare of his tribe to be popular with
the more godless section who suc-
ceeded in overthrowing him and elect-
ing another more in keeping with
their loose ideas. Dissensions still
continue, and the affairs of the reserve
are, in consequence, neglected to some
extent. Some Indians, says the
Father, will go to Confession, but re-
fuse to go to Holy Communion on the
plea that they are not good enough.
To meet this difficulty there was but
the one way, and the Father refused
Absolution to those, who declined to
receive Holy Communion. This dras-
tic course was successful in some
cases. The Indian is a fatalist. He
knows that if he dies in his state of
refusal to comply with the Church’s
commands he will lose his soul, but,
when this is pointed out to him by the
priest, he retorts that he will make it
all right when he is about to die, and
from that illogical position he cannot
be moved.
Father LeJeune has asked the B. C.
Western Catholic to intimate that his
“Wawa,” or Indian shorthand paper,
though discontinued since 1904, may
still be purchased, at least its old num-
bers. These rare curios have been
classified by Father LeJeune.
— from “In Catholic Mission Fields”, in the St Paul (MN) Catholic Bulletin of June 27, 1914, page 6, columns 2-3
