Some reminiscences of old Victoria

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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

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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 →

Letter from Lytton

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Side note before the show–any of my readers have JSTOR access? There is an article Iʹd like to print out.  Let me know.  — Dave Chako nanich, Chinuk wawa pipa iht sawash man… Continue reading →

Wah-Wah’s 7, Go-Go’s 6, and RIP Barbara Harris

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Please see Barbara Harris’ obituary at the end of this post.  Thanks. Here’s a tiny fun Canadian hockey mystery to cool your brain on this summer day: In an item headed “Sport at… Continue reading →

Potlatch lamala, at White Bluffs on the Columbia, really?

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In the Nakusp (BC) Ledge, September 12, 1895, a leisurely installment of “Odd Talks with Old-Timers” hears out an unnamed Cariboo pioneer, possibly the newspaper’s editor.  This old codger of a first-person narrator recalls… Continue reading →

Indians said to be sullex!

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And other sarcasm!  This many-tiered headline is a fine parody of its own times!  And I quote! Complete with snarky Chinuk Wawa borrowings! Tremendous gold excitement! in Portland!! The ‘Times’ out with Two… Continue reading →

What engineers must know in British Columbia

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Chinuk Wawa shows up in a funny place: American Machinist magazine.  (February 2, 1884, page 3.)  In the middle of a serious discussion of Root’s new boiler design, they throw in some lighter-weight filler.  “What… Continue reading →

Covered Wagon Women

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The letter of Anna Maria King, Luckiamute Valley, Oregon, April 1, 1846: [page 44:] The Indians appear to be very friendly, like to have the Bostons come, as they call them.   Tabitha Brown (1780-1858, co-founder… Continue reading →

Jargon “horse” in a Southern Cal. Native language?

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Why would the Chinook Jargon word for “horse” turn up quite early in Southern California? Horatio Hale’s 1846 “Ethnography” volume of the US Exploring Expedition, page 566, has “keutan” for horse in the Netela/Kij… Continue reading →

Front page of Kamloops Wawa #60

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(Translation added 6/29/14 by DDR.  For my comments on the text, see the very end.  Discuss.)   Thanks to USask and Dr. Keith Thor Carlson for amassing a fine big collection of Kamloops Wawa newspapers,… Continue reading →