Kamloopa Wawa

[Jeffrey Kopp]

Hi, Peter.   Thanks for your note.  I am aware of the Kamloops Wawa
and have a couple one-page examples, plus a copy of Fr. LeJeune's
1923 "Chinook Rudiments."  Others in our "Jargon group" have
researched and examined his work more extensively and learned to read
his script, and we learned to compose words in the KW script as a
class project at the Jargon Workshop last fall.  One of the
"Jargonauts" went so far as to develop a computer font based on the
LeJeune script to determine if it would be feasible to use in an
instructional computer program.

I realized on getting your message that LeJeune's work isn't well
represented on the existing Tenas Wawa site, though he is mentioned
in a couple of footnotes, and the KW are briefly discussed in one of
Duane's Chinook Jargon Notes, "A History of Chinook Jargon
Dictionaries," at www.geocities.com/~tenaswawa/jn06.htm.  There was a
longer article on the KW in the printed TW, which hasn't made it onto
the Web site yet.  Considering the extent and unique nature of the KW
I do feel I should add more material regarding it, and hope to do so
when other planned additions to the site are prepared in the future.

We've tracked down sources of the KW in libraries and archives (they
seem to be scattered about) but I don't know if anyone has yet been
able to assemble a collection of copies.  Indeed, just constructing a
complete index of the KW, considering its long and sporadic run in
print, would be quite an undertaking in itself.

I'd certainly be interested in hearing what you find in your research
of the KW and will certainly share it with the group, and also would
like to invite you to communicate directly with our Jargon mailing
list.  (Go to http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-chinook.html to
enter a free subscription to the list.)  The group is especially
interested in hearing from people with personal or anecdotal
experience with the Jargon, such as yours in learning the Jargon from
your mother, so we can add to our knowledge regarding the extent of
use of the Jargon both over time and by geographic distribution.

Thanks very much for your note, and I look forward to sharing what we
can learn about the KW with the group.

Regards,

Jeffrey Kopp

On Thu, 6 May 1999 13:02:26 -0700, you wrote:

>Hi Jeff.  Just a quick note to bring some information to you.  I've been reviewing the chinook sites, libraries etc. here in Kamloops for an article I'm doing for the local Kamloops paper later in July.  In none of the sites do I see mention made of a thriving hub of Chinook jargon here in Kamloops.  A newspaper, published by Father Le Juene, played a large part in the late 19th C and early 20th C here in Kamloops.  It was distributed to all of the tribes here in the interior.  A number of bound volumes are available at our Kamloops Museum and Archives.  Gold medals were won at various Paris Exibitions for the quality of the product.  If you or other PNW afficionados are interested, I will pass on some more info to you.  Chinook was an important part of Kamloops' early history, and words are still used today.  Early pioneers in this area used many more of the terms up until the 30's.  My mother taught me many of the words commonly in use amongst those that are native (born here) to
>BC, and you can tell which ones were here for a long time as they sprinkle their everyday conversation with some of the words, particullarly for emphasis.
>
>You have a very interesting and well done site.
>
>Best regards and keep up the good work,
>
>Peter Grauer up here in Kamloops.