“The Mule’s Song” from 1892 helps you practice the Chinuk Pipa vowel letters
I found this gem in an issue of the Kamloops Phonographer “introductory number” (June 1892), page 2:
“The Mule’s Song”, tune unknown, but we enjoyed singing it to “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” at our Fort Langley gathering in September…
The Mule’s Song.
a o, a o, a o u;
o u, o u, o u aw;
u aw, u aw, u aw wa;
aw wa, aw wa, aw wa i;
wa i, wa i, wa i yu;
i yu, i yu, i yu a;
yu a, yu a, yu a o.
With that exercise mastered, you can read the “words full of meaning” that follow it. They include what the writer describes as “ai” for ‘yes’ (which is e, a previously known rarity), and “ow ow ow” for ‘I wonder’ (huh?).
