Confirmed: the earliest Chinuk Wawa poem (1851)
In an archive the other day, I found an overt attribution of the earliest Chinook Jargon poem.
(I hate to call this one “doggerel”, because the author achieved the incredible feat of rhyming in Jargon.)
The following poem in Jargon or the Chinook Indian dialect was was [sic] written by John Carey of Oregon who “crossed the Plains” or emigrated to Oregon from Illinois in 1847. It was written at Dayton Oregon in 1851.
Here’s page 1 of the manuscript version of the poem:
The same archival file includes what I can fairly call a lovingly crafted presentation of the poem, typewritten in a handwriting-like typeface on a heavy, expensive paper stock that resembles wood in appearance:
asdf
𛰅𛱁𛰃𛱂 𛰙𛱁𛱆𛰅𛱁 𛰃𛱄𛰙𛰃𛱄𛰙? qʰáta mayka tə́mtəm?
kata maika tumtum? Qu’en penses-tu?
What do you think?
And can you say it in Chinuk Wawa?
Hey! Free stuff! Teach Yourself northern-dialect Chinook Jargon! It’s free!
And join free Zoom sessions…
Contact me for the Zoom link.
–and–
