kamosEk

[David Robertson]

Lush tEnEs-pulakli, kanawi-Laksta,

pus uk san, yaka mamunk kakwa "clerk" khapa ixt kamosEk-makuk-haws.

pus uk pulakli, yaka chInUk-man!

(By day, he's a mild-mannered clerk for a bead trading company.

By night, he's Chinook Man!)

ukuk san nayka pi nayka tayi khapa uk makuk-haws, nEsayka wawa khapa ukuk
Hudson's Bay Company yaka kamosEk.

Today my boss and I were talking about those Hudson's Bay Company beads.

khapa uk makuk-haws, nEsayka t!u7wEn tEnEs-hayu lop paL ukuk kamosEk.

At the warehouse, we have several strands full of these beads.

dreht ul Laska.

They're very old.

tL!unEs ixt-makwst takamunak sno Laska.

They're about a hundred to two hundred years old.

wEXt nayka tayi yaka t!u7wEn kamosEk kakwa ukuk khapa haws.

My boss has beads like this at home too.

yaka ya7im nayka, makuk-man khapa uk yUrop Laska anqEti lulu ukuk
kamosEk pus makuk khapa uk afrIka, kacEk-amehrIka, pi amehrika qha uk kul
chaku.

He told me the merchants from Europe used to bring these beads to trade in
Africa, Central America, and North America.

dEchmEn tllxam Laska anqEti munk ukuk kamosEk.

The Dutch made these beads.

Laska munk uk tL!EmEn-IlI7i pus yaka khapa lEbal, pi alta Laska
munk-mILayt ukuk tEnEs-tEnEs lEbal khapa uk paya.

They shaped clay into a ball, and then they'd put it into a fire.

ukuk lu7lu-kamosEk tEnEs-hayu Laska kakwa ulIli, pi tEnEs-hayu Laska kakwa
uk kElakEla yaka lesehp.

Some of these round beads are like berries, and some are like eggs.

tL!unEs sItkEm Laska tL!el (??) kakwa uk ulIli, pi Xluwima Laska tkop
kakwa uk bastEn shIt-lEpot.

Maybe half of them are dark blue like berries, and the rest are white like
a toilet.

dreht q!El pi tIl Laska, kakwa stun.

They're very hard and heavy, like rocks.

pi tukti Laska.

But they're nice-looking.

na-tEmtEm nayka makuk ixt lop paL ukuk kamosEk...

I think I'm going to buy a strand of these beads...

...uk tayi wik tIki nayka palach hayu chIkEmIn pus Laska, qhanchi tIlxam
wek Laska mamunk khapa uk makuk haws, nixwa Laska palach takamunak pi
qwInEm-taLEm tala.

...The boss doesn't make me pay much for them, though people who don't
work at our company have to pay a hundred and fifty dollars!

hilu p!aLEs!
I'm not kidding!

alaxti pus uk stotkIn-mun, skukEm nayka pus lulu tEnEs-hayu ukuk
kamosEk-lop khapa uk "chInUk wawa lu7lu" pus mEsayka nanIch Laska.

Maybe next month, I'll be able to bring some of these strands of beads to
the Chinook Jargon gathering to show you.

pi Lush mEsayka nanIch Laska khapa uk paya-c!Em-IlI7i,
But you can see them at the website,

www.rings-things.com ("ukuk Ikta ya-kwEnEm"/"item #" 22-435)

LaXayEm!
Dave

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