Chinook Indians (fwd)

[Jeffrey Kopp]

Hi, Dave.  Well, I have seen several interesting suggestions offered
here lately for the origin of "high muckamuck," but in my
recollection its meaning is a bit more specific, that is, one who is
important enough to have the honor of sitting at the chief's table,
or near the chief at meals.  This might be a back-formation or folk
etymology from the phrase's vernacular meaning in recent decades of
"big shot," but I remain persuaded it is authentic.

P.S.  I am curious to know what paper your friend found "Mike
Mailway" in.  I remember that column, but haven't seen it for many
years.  Maybe it was in one of the Seattle papers when I lived there.

Regards,

Jeff

On Wed, 17 Nov 1999 19:02:16 -0800, David Robertson
<drobert at TINCAN.TINCAN.ORG> wrote:

>Qhata mayka?
>
>The newspaper column referred to below is itself a bit of NW lore, also
>known as "Mike Mailway".  Hayu masi khapa na phapa pi mama pus ukuk...
>
>Alta na lhatEwa
>Dave
>
>	   http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/chinook.html
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Wed, 17 Nov 1999 16:17:00 EST
>From: BobAnn53 at aol.com
>To: Drobert at tincan.tincan.org
>Subject: Chinook Indians
>
>David: Did you see in this morning's paper in the L.M. Boyd Trivia article
>the item about the Chinooks? It says: Chinook Indians had a special term for
>the tribesman with a big stomach. "Hieu" meaning "plenty" and "macamuc"
>meaning "to eat." It's how we came by that comfortable bit of vernacular for
>a very important person - high mucky muck."