Delirium tremens in the Okanagan
A whole lotta shaking goin’ on! Hands, bodies, souls.
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Temperance pledge, Stó:lō style (1893)
The other day in this blog I mentioned the epidemic of alcoholism in Indian country that we get a number of close glimpses into via the Kamloops Wawa newspaper. Under the influence of… Continue reading
Johnny Harper gets married & dies
The 1890s were a transitional time in the southern BC interior. Many Aboriginal people had been married in the old traditional way. Missionary priests were promoting Catholic marriage. Sometimes, a person would postpone… Continue reading
You, government White man, why don’t you first have a look at this Chinook writing?
The sequel to my post yesterday continues Father Le Jeune’s rant against White cynicism. Again, look closely. The differences between what Le Jeune writes in English (pretty civilly) and his Chinook Jargon (translated… Continue reading
White good, Indian bad
A racist Catch-22. Paraphrased: The only good Indian is one who you turn into a White person. The only easy way to acculturate the Indians is to use Chinook Jargon. Chinook Jargon is… Continue reading
“Nawitika” there’s a “hymn” pronunciation of Chinuk Wawa
Short post: “Nawitika” there is a “hymn” pronunciation of Chinuk Wawa. It amounts to throwing extra vowels in. This breaks up some of the consonant clusters that are harder (for European missionaries) to… Continue reading
Shaina man mamuk kansih kakwa
Which Chinese language is this? “The Chinese count like this:” (Kamloops Wawa issue #31, 19 June 1892, page 122) Shaina man mamuk kansih kakwa, <1.> iit <6> lawk ∫ Sondi lat bai… Continue reading
In which Jesus has his henchmen score some “moolah”
[Edited 04/23/16 as I learned more about mules and donkeys.] Not to be an ass, but here’s the spoiler: an interesting word for “mule” gets used in the Kamloops Wawa‘s first telling of the… Continue reading
Chinook Jargon for 2015 (from 1892): “leftovers”
I found something that’s definitely usable in 2015, in an 1892 Chinook newspaper — it’s their “leftovers”. In previous years, I’ve read my way through every one of the 250 or so issues… Continue reading
I love you: An old love letter, and emotions, in Chinuk Wawa
One of the most frequently asked questions! “How do you say ‘I love you’ in Chinook?” If you go Grand Ronde style, you can say “Nayka q’at mayka”. That’s definitely romance. In the… Continue reading