White man's writing=ox team, Chinuk Wawa writing=steam engine

David Robertson ddr11 at COLUMBIA.EDU
Mon May 23 17:07:26 UTC 2005


>From the Kamloops Wawa masthead, or colophon, or whatever real people call
the design at the top of the first page of a newspaper that includes the
name of the paper & some other information:

"Kopa Chinuk pipa msaika chako aiak komtaks ikta: nawitka tkop man pipa,
kakwa bul tim, Chinuk pipa kakwa stim kar."

"From the Chinuk Wawa writing, you folks will soon learn something: really
the white man's writing is like a team of oxen, but the Chinuk Wawa
writing is like a steam engine."

aiak = soon
bul = ox
bul tim = team of oxen
chako = {makes a verb form that focuses on a result}
chako komtaks = learn
Chinuk = Chinuk Wawa
Chinuk pipa = Chinuk Wawa writing {shorthand}
ikta = something
kakwa = {to be} like
kar = car {of a train}
komtaks = know
kopa = from
man = man, people
msaika = you folks
nawitka = really
pipa = writing {anything written}
stim = steam
stim kar = steam engine {on a railway}
tim = team {of farm animals}
tkop = white
tkop man = white man, white people

This was copied from issue #207 (December 1903), but the same masthead was
used on many issues.

--Dave R.

To respond to the CHINOOK list, click 'REPLY ALL'.  To respond privately to the sender of a message, click 'REPLY'.  Hayu masi!



More information about the Chinook mailing list