Chinook letter from 1895

[David Robertson]

Klahawiam, kanawi tilikom,
LaXayam, kanawi-Laksta,

Between the lines below I'm giving my translation of the anti-medicine-man
tirade...

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 19:57:56 -0400, David Robertson <ddr11 at COLUMBIA.EDU>
wrote:

>"Ikta mamuk msaika skukum tomtom
Why do you folks believe

>kopa tamanwas man, ikta mamuk msaika wawa: Aias haha
in the medicine man, what makes you say

>ukuk tamanwas man.  Wik naika nanich pus iaka aias haha:
the medicine man is really powerful?  I don't see that he's very powerful:

>Pus iaka aias haha wik kata pus iaka sik, wik
If he were so powerful, he couldn't get sick, he

>kata pus mimlus: Pi msaika komtaks kanawi tamanwas man
couldn't die:  And you folks know all medicine men

>tlap sik pi mimlus kakwa kanawi tilikom.  Pus man tanas
get sick and die like everyone.  If a person is a little

>sik: Msaika iskom tamanwas pi iaka chako tlus, pi msaika wawa
ill, you get the medicine man and he gets well, and you say

>tamanwas man mamuk tlus iaka: Pi wik kakwa.  Pus man skukum
the medicine man cured him; but it's not so.  If a person is terribly

>sik, wik kata tamanwas man mamuk tlus iaka: Pus 100
ill, there's no way the medicine man can cure him; if 100

>tamanwas mamuk kopa iaka wik kata pus klaska mamuk tlus
medicine men worked on him, there's no way to cure

>iaka.  Pus S[ahali] T[ayi] tiki mamuk tlus iaka, aiak iaka chako
him.  If God wants to cure him, he'll get

>tlus[,] pus S[ahali] T[ayi] tiki pus iaka mimlus, aiak iaka mimlus.
better right away; if God wants him to die, he'll die soon.

>
>"Pi ikta mamuk msaika skukum tomtom kopa tamanwas pi
So why do you folks believe in the medicine man and

>msaika mash S[ahali] T[ayi] iaka wawa.  Alki msaika tlap sik[,]
ignore God's word?  You're going to fall sick,

>alki msaika mimlus[,] pi msaika tlap klahawiam kopa ukuk[.]
you'll die, and you'll be humiliated by this.

>Tlus msaika kwash kopa S[ahali] T[ayi], pi wik msaika kwash
You should be afraid of God, and not fear

>kopa tamanwas man."
the medicine man.

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