1898, BC: Another letter from Stó:lō country
{In honour of the 2025 Chinook Jargon gathering, starting today here at Fort Langley, BC!}
From Kamloops Wawa #162 of March, 1898 (page 35), we have another complete quoted Chinuk Pipa letter from Stó:lō territory on the lower Fraser River of British Columbia.
Image credit: Cheam First Nation
This one is from Adrian Jimmy of Cheam First Nation, BC, who was a major Chinook writer.
Iht tanas man wiht mamuk kakwa pipa kopa
‘Another young man has also written such a letter for’msaika:
‘you folks:’“Ankati naika til tomtom pus naika styuil
‘ “I used to be too tired out in my mind to pray’kanawi son, kakwa ST ilo hilp naika.
‘every day, so God wasn’t helping me.’Kimta naika tlap sik lipii, pi lili naika ilo
‘Later, I got sick feet, and for a long time I couldn’t’kuli kopa klahani; ST patlach ukuk lapilitas
‘walk outside; God gave that punishment’kopa naika pus naika lisi kopa styuil pi kopa
‘to me for my being lazy about prayers and’katikism.
‘the catechism.’Kakwa tlus wik msaika lisi kopa msaika Chinuk
‘So you folks shouldn’t be lazy about your Chinook’pipa pi kopa msaika styuil kanawi son. Pus
‘paper and your prayers every day. If’klaksta lisi kopa styuil, kwanisim iaka klahaw=
‘someone is lazy about praying, they’ll be piti-’iam. Klunas iaka tlap skukum sik, klunas
‘ful. They might get awful sick, their’iaka tilikom tlap sik pi iaka mimlus, pi klunas
‘relative might get sick and die, or their’iaka papus mimlus, klunas iaka kluchmin mimlus.
‘baby might die, their wife might die.’Kakwa naika wawa kopa msaika naika tilikom pus
‘So I’m telling you, my relatives, how’tlus msaika kwanisim tlus nanich msaika Chinuk
‘you ought to always pay attention to your Chinook’pipa. Msaika komtaks ukuk naika wawa, pus
‘paper. You understand what I’m saying; if’klaksta lisi kopa styuil, klunas iaka tilikom
‘someone’s lazy about praying, their relative might’mimlus. Ukuk ST patlach lapilitas kopa klaksta
‘die. That’s God giving a punishment to some’man pus iaka lisi kopa styuil pi kopa kanawi
‘person for their being lazy about praying and about all the’ikta ST iaka wawa.
‘things God says.’Pi wiht naika wawa msaika, naika drit tlus
‘And I’m also telling you, I really like’tomtom kopa Chinuk pipa. Iaka ukuk Chinuk pipa
‘the Chinook paper. It’s this Chinook paper’mamuk komtaks naika kanawi ikta ST iaka wawa pi
‘that teaches me everything God says and’ShK iaka wawa. Ankati naika ilo komtaks kanawi
‘Jesus says. I used to not know the whole’katikism, pi naika tlap ukuk Stalo styuil
‘catechism, but I got hold of that Stó:lō prayer’buk, pi iawa naika chako komtaks kanawi katikism.
‘book, and then I learned the whole catechism.’Alta naika wawa mirsi kopa ST pus iaka blis
‘Now I thank God for his blessing’ukuk Chinuk pipa, pi pus iaka blis kanawi
‘this Chinook Writing, and for blessing all of’ukuk tilikom komtaks Chinuk pipa, pus klaska
‘the people who know Chinook Writing, so they’kwanisim skukum tomtom pus hilp klaska pipa
‘can always be strong-hearted to help their newspaper’kanawi wam.” Adrian Shimi
‘every year.” – Adrian Jimmy’
