I was saying the other day how ictas (“things, belongings, paraphernalia”) was among the first Chinook Jargon words to enter regional English. In terms of there even existing a community of speakers that could… Continue reading
One of the earliest Chinook Jargon words to enter regional English, I’m finding, was ictas, used to mean “things; belongings; associated trimmings”. From the start of publishing in Oregon, I find it sprinkled into casual… Continue reading
Portlanders will recognize the name of Glisan. Military surgeon Rodney Glisan (1827-1890) published his “Journal of Army Life” as a book in 1874, with a good deal of discussion of his six years in the Oregon Indian… Continue reading
Lively colloquial use of a language is gold. Too many now-endangered or extinct languages lack clues to how they were once spontaneously spoken. I want to suggest that, of all the unexpected genres,… Continue reading
“The Thlackamas Indians” is the headline on a pretty substantial unsigned article about the local Clackamas Chinookan tribe in the Oregon City (OR) Enterprise of Thursday, June 24, 1886 (page 1, all of columns 2… Continue reading
File under ‘Chinook Jargon names’. (There are lots.) I wasn’t previously aware of Chief Nose-in-the-Soup. His name looks like it could be: A mocking English nickname — I hope not. A representation of… Continue reading
Pus msaika tiki kanawi ikta sil pi kot; If you folks want any kind of fabric or clothing, shush pi siapul, kopa man pi kopa kluchmin. shoes or hats,for men or women. Pus… Continue reading
Salish lexically-suffixed (classifier) numeral influence on the 1902 Chinook Jargon of a Sechelt person? Never mind my big words. Just look: Pi iht man iht man klatwa mamuk pu mawich. (and one… Continue reading
Another great ad in Chinook Jargon: <THE KAMLOOPS SAWMILL, <All kinds of Dressed and Rough Lumber, Sash, Singles, Etc.> T Kamlups so mil: The Kamloops Sawmill: Iawa msaika… Continue reading
Learn this: The word for ‘people’, tilixam in Chinuk Wawa (tilikom as spelled in Kamloops Wawa dialect), fundamentally means ‘Indigenous people’. I’ve pointed this out any number of times. Back in the day, you had to… Continue reading
