1895, BC: Chinook writing and reading…during confession?
If we can take this at face value, the large role of Chinook Writing in this part of Indigenous people’s religious practices is news to me.
Advance warning: the following uses some expressions unique to Native people’s use of Northern-Dialect Chinook Jargon. Both iilhit & haha milalam mean ‘to (make) confess(ion)’. Styuil is ‘prayer; to pray’, and pyusim is ‘(make the) sign of the cross’.
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From “Our Chinook Indian Catechism”:
<XIII.>
<105.> Kata msaika Kritia, pus msaika tiki
‘105. What do you do, Christians, when you want’iskom sakraminta lapilitas?
‘to take the sacrament of penance?’Pus naika tiki iskom sakraminta lapilitas, kwinam naika
‘When I want to take the sacrament of penance, there are five things I’mamuk: “1o naika iilhit naika masachi, pi naika cim
‘do: 1st I confess my badness and I write’kansih ayu taim naika mamuk iht pi iht masachi;
‘how many times I’ve done this and that bad thing;’2o naika mamuk sik naika tomtom kopa ukuk masachi
‘2nd I get regretful about the badness’naika tlap, pi naika mamuk naika tomtom pus wik wiht
‘I’ve gotten, and I decide not to’naika mamuk masachi; 3o naika klatwa mamuk
‘do bad again; 3rd I go report’komtaks naika masachi kopa liplit; 4o naika
‘my badness to the priest; 4th I’iskom lapsolyusio; 5o naika mamuk lapilitas
‘take absolution; 5th I do the penance’liplit patlach kopa naika.
‘the priest gives me.’<106.> Kata msaika iilhit msaika masachi
‘106. How do you confess your badness’pi msaika cim kansih ayu taim msaika mamuk iht pi
‘and write how many times you’ve done this and’iht msaika masachi?
‘that bad thing of yours?’Pus naika tiki iilhit naika masachi, naika
‘When I want to confess my badness, I’klatwa kopa styuil haws, saia kopa tilikom, naika
‘go to church, away from people; I’ashnu, naika pyusim, naika styuil kopa ST,
‘kneel, I cross myself, I pray to God’pus iaka mamuk lait naika tomtom, pi naika iilhit naika
‘to light up my heart, and I confess’masachi.
‘my badness.’<107.> Kata msaika mamuk pus msaika iilhit
‘107. What do you do when you confess’msaika masachi?
‘your badness?’Pus naika tiki iilhit naika masachi, ilip naika
‘When I want to confess my badness, first I’mamuk kuli naika tomtom kopa kanawi kah ilihi naika
‘send my heart everywhere that I’ve’klatwa pus naika kopit haha milalam; kimta naika
‘gone to since I last confessed; after that, I’nanich ST iaka tatilam wawa, pi liglis taham
‘read* God’s ten sayings, and the Church’s six’[right column:]
iaka wawa, pi sinmokst latit kopa kanawi masachi,
‘sayings, and the seven causes of all badness,’pi ukuk ayu ikta ST patlach nsaika pus nsaika
‘and the many things God gives us to’mamuk; kimta naika mamuk saia naika masachi pus*
‘do; after that, I push away my badness so’naika mamuk cim kansih ayu taim naika mamuk iht pi
‘I can write how many times I’ve done a given one and’kansih ayu taim naika mamuk iht.
‘how many times I’ve done another one.’<108.> Pus msaika kopit mamuk cim msaika
‘108. When you’re done writing down your’masachi, ikta wiht msaika mamuk?
‘badness, what else do you do?’Pus naika kopit mamuk cim naika masachi, naika
‘When I’m done writing down my badness, I’mamuk sik naika tomtom kopa ukuk masachi naika
‘make my heart feel sorry for the badness I’ve’tlap, pi naika mamuk naika tomtom pus wik wiht
‘wound up having, and I determine to not’naika mamuk masachi.
‘do bad again.’
— in “Kamloops Wawa” #132 (September 1895), page 144
Further such passages are found in KW #133.
