1867, WA: Indigenous strong language about politics
Totally un-translated Chinuk Wawa in the local paper, 114 historically significant words of Indigenous anger. Can you read it?
The locals could, you betcha. It sounds like a pretty exact quotation of a Native person of northwestern Washington’s Olympic Peninsula whose dignity has been insulted by a really ignorant US bureaucrat:
Our Siwash [Indigenous] reporter expresseth himself
in regard to the late “potlatch,” [giveaway] thusly:Nah, mika paper man? Nika ticky
wawa delate copa mika. Okook Siwash
Tyee, Mr. Buckiny, mamoke haul conawa
Siwash copa Hoods Canal, pe yaka wawa
yaka tickee potlatch hiyu ictas copa cona-
wa tillicum, pe nesica conawa clatawa copa
yaka, pe ulta nesica chaco sick tumtum.
Okook Tyee wake close — wake hiyu ictas
midlite, pe conawa hyas cultas. Klonas
yaka tumtum Siwash hyas clahowya — yaka
tickee potlatch ickt cultus pesissy copa
locket man, pe ickt lesack cultus plower
copa klootchman. Nesica wake tickee
yaka plower; hiyu midlite copa nesica house.
Conawa Siwash iscum hyas mesachee tum
tum copa okook tyee ulta. Yaka wake
close man — wake caqua Mr. Simmels, okook
ankutty tyee.
— from the Port Townsend (Washington Territory) Weekly Message of November 7, 1867, page 2, column 2
In case you need help understanding this juicy gossip in the Northern Dialect, I’ll translate it into Southern Dialect phonetics, and into English.
Context: the speaker wishes the experienced, and fluently Chinook Jargon-speaking, “Colonel” Michael T Simmons was back on the job of dealing with the tribes who just 12 years earlier had signed treaties with the USA. (S)he thinks new Indian Superintendent, General SJ McKinney of Iowa, is dumb and incompetent…
Nah, mika paper man? Nika ticky
ná, mayka pípa-mán! nayka tíki
hey, you paper-man! I want
‘Hey you, newspaper man! I want’
wawa delate copa mika. Okook Siwash
wáwa dléyt kʰupa mayka. úkuk sáwásh
talk straight to you. that “Indian”
‘to tell you the truth. That “Indian” ‘
Tyee, Mr. Buckiny, mamoke haul conawa
táyí, místa* bəkíni*, mamuk-hál kʰánawi
boss, Mister Buckiny, make-pull all
‘boss, Mr Buckiny [McKinney], dragged all of the’
Siwash copa Hoods Canal, pe yaka wawa
sáwásh kʰupa húds-kʰəlál, pi yaka wáwa
Native to Hood Canal, and he say
‘Natives to Hood Canal [Skokomish?], and he said’
yaka tickee potlatch hiyu ictas copa cona-
yaka tíki pátlach háyú íktʰa-s kʰupa kʰánawi
he want give much thing-s to all
‘he wanted to give lots of stuff to every-‘
wa tillicum, pe nesica conawa clatawa copa
wi tílixam, pi nsayka kʰánawi ɬátwa kʰupa
(Native.)people, and we all go to
‘one, and we all went to’
yaka, pe ulta nesica chaco sick tumtum.
yaka, pi álta nsayka chaku-sík-tə́mtəm.
him, but now we get-upset-heart.
‘him, but then we got pissed off.’
Okook Tyee wake close — wake hiyu ictas
úkuk táyí wík-ɬúsh — wík háyú íktʰa-s
that boss un-good — not much thing-s
‘That boss is a bad one — there was hardly anything’
midlite, pe conawa hyas cultas. Klonas
míɬayt, pi kʰánawi hayas-kʰə́ltəs. t’ɬúnas
be.there, and all very-worthless. maybe
‘there, and it was all low-quality. Maybe’
yaka tumtum Siwash hyas clahowya — yaka
yaka tə́mtəm sáwásh hayas-ɬax̣áwya(m) — yaka
he think Native very-poor — he
‘he thinks Native folks are really poor — he’
tickee potlatch ickt cultus pesissy copa
tíki pátlach íxt kʰə́ltəs pásísi kʰupa
want give one worthless blanket to
‘wanted to give one no-good blanket to’
locket man, pe ickt lesack cultus plower
lákit mán, pi íxt lisák kʰə́ltəs pláwa*
four man, and one bag worthless flour
‘four guys, and a bag of second-rate flour’
copa klootchman. Nesica wake tickee
kʰupa ɬúchmən. nsayka wík tíki
to woman. we not want
‘to the women. We don’t want’
yaka plower; hiyu midlite copa nesica house.
yaka pláwa*; háyú míɬayt kʰupa nsaika háws.
his flour; much be.there in our house.
‘his flour; there’s plenty in our houses!’
Conawa Siwash iscum hyas mesachee tum[-]
kʰánawi sáwásh ískam hayas-másáchi-tə́mtəm
all Native take.on very-bad-heart
‘The Native folks are getting mighty hostile’
tum copa okook tyee ulta. Yaka wake
kʰupa úkuk táyí álta. yaka wík-
to that boss now. he un-
‘towards that boss guy now. He’s a’
close man — wake caqua Mr. Simmels, okook
ɬúsh mán — wík kákwa místa* síməls*, úkuk
good man — not like Mister Simmels [Simmons], that
‘bad man — different from Mr Simmels, the’
ankutty tyee.
ánqati táyí.
previous boss.
‘old boss.’
Bonus fact:
If you’d like to try back-translating some important Native people’s Chinook Jargon from an English report on a meeting with General McKinney, click this link.
