Chinuk paia! It was a thing!
The first time I came across this wonderful phrase, Chinuk paia (‘Chinook fire’), I wondered if it was a mistake for *Chaina paia* (‘Chinese fire’)…
Image credit: FireWorksCentral.ca
But the phrase was used persistently for years. It was a thing.
Mimlus son Satirdi klaska mamuk
‘Saturday evening, people made a’prosishon kopa ShK iaka tomtom, pi tlus
‘procession for the heart of Jesus, and for’Mari pi Sin Shosif: klaska lolo ayu
‘Blessed Mary and St Joseph; they carried’lantirn pi ayu Chinuk paia stik.
‘lots of lanterns and fireworks sticks.’Pi skukum win kakwa tanas ayu
‘But the wind was strong so several’lantirns chako paia.
‘lanterns caught fire.’
— Kamloops Wawa #198, September 1901, page 70
Wiht hloima kandl mitlait, pi klaska mamuk
‘There were also other candles, and they made’drit aias skukum lait, nsaika mamuk nim ukuk lait
‘a really brilliant light that we call’Chinuk paia, tkop man mamuk nim iaka Bingal paia.
‘Chinook fire; the White people call it Bengal fire.’
— Kamloops Wawa #132 (September 1895), page 133
iawa kanawi
‘Then every-‘tilikom kuli prosishon, klaska lolo ayu
‘body performed a procession; they were carrying a lot of’kandl, pi ayu wiht Chinuk paia
‘candles, and also lots of fireworks.’
— #199(c) (December 1901), page 99
kanawi tilikom lolo
‘Everyone was carrying’Chaina lantirns, pi mamuk paia ayu Chinuk paia
‘Chinese lanterns, and were lighting lots of fireworks‘
— #201 (June 1902), page 140
I’ve never yet found this phrase in an English-language published source.
To those who celebrate, happy Canada Day and US Independence Day!
(To those who don’t, I hope you’re making money selling them some Chinook fire.) 😁
