Author Archive

“Less familiar words” in the Northern Dialect (Part 2C: Le Jeune 1924: other districts)

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Continuing to sift through one of the on-the-spot reports about the differences between the 2 big Chinuk Wawa dialects…

Learning from the Lane learners (Part 8: “tastes like”)

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Today I want to share how to talk about “tasting” in Jargon…

Culture lessons: Things Chinuk Wawa doesn’t do (Part 8: keep it simple, stupid)

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K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Stupid! This can’t be stressed enough.

Boas 1892: Many discoveries in a short article (Part 16: ‘to rest’)

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Another word that we know as “typically Grand Ronde” (Oregon) was first documented at Shoalwater Bay, Washington…

Ikta Dale McCreery yaka t’ɬap (Part 6: Deciphering a newly found song)

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Tune unknown, which may be a clue for us.

AF Chamberlain’s field notes of Chinuk Wawa from SE British Columbia (Part 6: The rumours are true!)

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Still more wonderful stuff from an eyewitness observer & speaker in BC!

Kamloops + other residential schools, as reported to Native people in Chinook (Part 9: the kids’ names and home communities)

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Today’s report is very data-heavy, so it will be valuable for research into the Canadian “residential schools”, and for genealogy.

More humor in Chinuk Wawa: The culture of literacy

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Something that often comes up in the old Chinook newspaper is an ability to see what’s funny in a negative experience.

1889, Comox, BC: A Siwash Santa Claus

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Christmas-themed, if you squint 🤣

December 1894: “Our Monthly Budget” (Part 2 of 3 — Advent, and how to address letters)

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Explaining new religious ideas to Native people involved trying to use their languages…