1912, WA: Interesting growing in Chinook club
“The Patriarch” was at it again!
British immigrant publisher Edward Clayson had strong opinions, one of which was that you need to keep Chinuk Wawa being spoken.
The cartoon accompanying the article is titled “Editor of the Patriarch Bargaining in Chinook for a Mess of Clams”, with this dialogue:
Clayson — Nika potlatch ikt bit copa okoke muckamuck. (I’d give a dime for that food.)
Indian — Delate halo. Spose mika potlatch ikt quateh kloshe. (Definitely not. If you’d give a quarter, that would be all right.)
He was tapping into a widely held early 20th century sentiment among Pacific Northwest Settlers that Chinook Jargon holds great meaning for our region.
Here’s the header:
INTEREST GROWING
IN CHINOOK CLUB
Edward Clayson’s Plan for Or-
ganization to Study Indian
Jargon Meets Favor.
MANY LETTERS RECEIVED
Belief Expressed That Movement
Would Aid in Explaining Pur-
pose and Meaning of Potlatch.
By CHARLES EUGENE BANKS.
Check out the voice of the people:
Edward Clayson’s plan to form a
Chinook Club is meeting with approval
from the old timers. Many of them
called at the Post-Intelligencer edi-
torial rooms to make inquiries since
the first article was published. Mr.
Clayson has received many letters con-
cerning his proposal. In fact, there
seems to be a well defined wish among
those who have some familiarity with
the Chinook jargon to get together in
some permanent organization.Chinook is not a language in the
pure sense of the word. Perhaps it is
better for it that no one has tried to
formulate for it a grammar. Should
that be done it would cease to be val-
uable as a medium for communication
with the Indians. In its present form
Chinook serves a very important pur-
pose. It is understood by the Indians
without study or instruction, and those
unfamiliar with the Indian tongue may
easily acquire Chinook. It is idiomatic
entirely. The Chinook Club, according
to “Patriarch” Clayton’s idea, is for
the simple purpose of preserving the
Chinook in its present form, and of
drawing together the old timers of the
Northwest.Five Hundred Words in Jargon.
E. J. Dalby, 4462 Morgan street,
Brighton Beach, who is probably the
easiest and most graceful speaker of
Chinook in the Puget sound country,
when asked what he thought of Mr.
Clayson’s project, sald:“I am interested in anything that
will tend to preserve the Chinook lan-
guage. I would also like to see more
people familiar with the tongue, and I
belleve that the formation of a club
will greatly help in creating interest.
The language itself is very simple
and may be lerned readily, containing
as it does, only 500 words, of which
a total of only about 250 or 300 are in
actual use.“Because of its elasticity, the appar-
ently meager vocabulary is capable of
of expressing almost any phase of thought.”Anyone interested in Chinook and a
Chinook Club may communicate with
Edward Clayson, care Post-Intelli-
gencer.Among the interesting letters re-
ceived, since the original suggestion
in these columns, are the following:“Mr. Edward Clayson, care Post-Intelli-
gencer.“Dear Sir: I am very much in favor
of the idea of forming a Chinook Club.
I have lived in this country for thirty-
one years and begin to think I am ‘an
old settler.’ I traded with the Indians
in Alaska, British Columbia, Washing-
ton and Oregon years ago. Let us get
together and arrange the club. It will
help to boost our annual Potlatch, and
it will help to educate the people as to
what the Potlatch means.
“H.N. DUNBAR.
“5248 Eleventh avenue northeast.”Another writes:
“I note your suggestion in the Post-
Intelligencer, and I think a Chinook
Club just the thing to bring together a
lot of the old timers. Let us all get
together and ‘mamock‘ for it. I as-
sure you I would be glad to be one of
the members.“RALPH ERICKSON.
5230 Tallman avenue, Seattle.”Words Soon Forgotten.
This from a little girl:
“Am I, a little girl 13 years old, elig-
ible to membership in your Chinook
Club? My mother is of a pioneer fam-
ily and speaks some Chinook, but I
think not correctly, as an Indian lady
told her the other day to speak Eng-
lish, as she could not understand that
kind of Injun talk. I am very anxious
to learn the language before all the
older folks forget it. Very truly,“MARION CUMMINGS.
“747 Twenty-first avenue north.”A visitor to the city writes:
“I quite agree with Mr. Edward
Clayson in the formation of a Chinook
Club. It would serve to bring together
old timers and sourdoughs. I just ar-
rived from Northern British Columbia
and would like to meet Mr. Clayson. I
speak Chinook fairly well, but am get-
ting out of practice.“ERNEST COWARD.
“American hotel.”Another writes:
“I will gladly enter as a member of
a club to study Chinook jargon.“H. E. ELLENBERGER
“General dellvery. Ballard station,
Wash.Willing to Assist.
The vice president of the Pacifie
lumber inspection bureau says:“Gentlemen: With reference to your
article in Post-Intelligencer relative to
a Chinook Club, I am heartily in favor
of Mr. Clayson’s ides of forming one
and would be pleased to join. Very
truly yours.“GEORGE W. ALEXANDER
“1011-1012 White bullding, Seattle.”An army man writes:
“I heartily indorse the proposition
of Edward Clayson to establish a club
for the purpose of keeping alive the
Chinook jargon. This useful language
is intimately connected with the de-
velopment of the Northwest. I will
lend my aid to such a club. Put me
down.
“CAPT. H. W. POWELL.
“719 North Forty-sixth street, Se-
attle.”These are a few of the expressions
of interest on the subject. Something
definite should be done to have a
meeting. No doubt, the Seattle Press
Club would be glad to have the meet-
ing called in its rooms. Any com-
munications regarding the subject may
be addressed to Edward Clayson, care
the Post-Intelligencer, Seattle.
— from the Seattle (WA) Post-Intelligencer of December 22, 1912, page 19, columns 1-2
Did such a club ever get formed? I’m surprised that this is the first I’m hearing of it.
