Chinook prayer at Siletz Fair by Shasta Rev. John Adams, 1915
More than half a century into the reservation era, Chinuk Wawa had quite a presence at the major interethnic social event of the year for Siletz, Oregon.
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WF Tolmie tells his role in early Jargon
No less formidable a figure than Dr William Fraser Tolmie once wrote to his local newspaper urging (as I understand him) that Indian reservations be Christian missions. To establish his credentials in that… Continue reading
lili
My specialty lately seems to be finding the metaphors that gave us various Chinuk Wawa expressions. Today’s comes with etymological baggage that I think you’ll love…
NW CA Jargon loans, meaning drift, and violence
Chinook Jargon was never a very big deal in northwestern California, but it has made an impact.
Pushing the boundaries of Chinook Writing: How to write (more) Chinese
(Image credit: ChinaDaily.com.cn) Regular readers of my site probably recall a remarkable old Chinuk Wawa article showing how to count in southern Chinese. (See “Shaina Man Mamuk Kansih Kakwa“.)
Mystery: tal’-is
talʹ-is ‘dear (beloved)’ is a word that caught my attention in JK Gill’s 1909 dictionary of Chinook Jargon. Because it’s completely mysterious.
How to say “Halloween” in Chinuk Wawa
You didn’t know how to say “Halloween” in Chinook Jargon? I have a treat for you.
ikta-qʰata?
From the Grand Ronde Tribes dictionary: ikta-qʰata ‘What’s wrong?, what’s the matter?; something gone wrong, fouled up, haywire.
Did Chinook Jargon ‘pish’ = all marine creatures?
File under Chinook Jargon expert witness, ethnoichthyology, ethnozoology, Chinook Jargon translator, etc.:
The life & poems of Theo. Winthrop
One of the most popular Chinook Jargon-related books ever published was Theodore Winthrop’s 1863 “The Canoe and the Saddle“. (Read a fine-looking copy of it for free at that link.) Titled in the… Continue reading