“Houn’ Dawg” song originated in Oregon
Today’s post was one of my favorites to write. It started with finding a Chinook song I hadn’t known before (always a thrill!), and it only got better as I followed the historical… Continue reading
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Preschoolers speaking Chinuk Wawa…in 1925!
Thanks to Leland Bryant Ross for creating the JPG image of the newspaper article! DDR FOUR-YEAR-OLD SPEAKS CHINOOK Indian Tongue Easy to Her as English! Infant prodigies aplenty have been found who could… Continue reading
Jimmy’s Kill, a Tsimshian tsall tsale
J.H. McGregor, “Jimmy’s Kill“. BC Mining Record. Christmas Supplement, 1900, pages 68-72. A narrative seemingly based on the writer’s actual experiences in far northwestern British Columbia, “Jimmy’s Kill” has dialogue that rings true… Continue reading
Mr. Bunker will employ good men at $3 a day, but no cultus men at any price
A nice bit of Chinook creeping into local English in the Kootenays: The Nelson (BC) Miner of Saturday, July 19th, 1890 run an article at the top of the middle of three columns on page… Continue reading
“A slave jargon exists among the Nez Percé Indians”
William Wallace Beach (ed.). 1877. The Indian miscellany: Containing papers on the history, antiquities, arts… Albany: J. Munsell. In Albert S. Gatschet’s article here, “Indian languages of the Pacific states and territories”, page 444 brings… Continue reading
As long as it is not a black eye it will be all right
The very first issue of the Chinook Wawa newspaper, Kamloops Wawa, came out on May 2 of 1891. From the very start, its editor Father Le Jeune’s sense of humor shows. (Read on.) … Continue reading
Jargon Chinook sitkum-san-tali
“Tɨmnákni tímat (writing from the heart): Sahaptin discourse and text in the speaker writing of Xílux̣in”: An excellent MA thesis by a longtime Chinuk Wawa friend, Phil Cash Cash, who some of you will remember… Continue reading
Having a hopping time: Chinookie and more
I have no more to say than that some of us would find the combination of Chinook Jargon and a Northwest craft beer to make a perfect day. Better, even, if Chinook hops… Continue reading
Some reminiscences of old Victoria
Some Reminiscences of Old Victoria, by Edgar Fawcett. Toronto: William Briggs. 1912. A nicely told personal memoir by Fawcett (1847-1923, immigrated to Victoria 1859). I read his words as accurately detailed, and they… Continue reading
Disgust with MP’s acting like high muck-a-mucks
A hundred and sixteen summers ago, they had the same discontents. In BC, what were they complaining about? “High muck-a-mucks” in the Dominion parliament! This is one of the earlier instances I’ve been… Continue reading