"He Reads Chinook with Ease"

[David Robertson]

Qhata mEsayka?

Ukuk wik-tEnes c'Em pipa ya chaku khapa uk Spokane (Washington) _Spokesman
- Review_, February 23, 1896, p.9:


HE READS CHINOOK WITH EASE
--------------------------
Levi Ankeny Has Not Forgotten His Pioneer Experiences.
------------------------------------------------------

A party of gentlemen were discussing a paragraph of Chinook found in the
East Oregonian at Pendleton.  Finally, Levi Ankeny was appealed to, and
read it with as much ease as he would English.  The Jargon as he
translated it, is as follows:

"Mica wake potlatch nika mimaloose, moose moose, ocke illehe cop a nica,
Boston man wake close Boston man capsuallow nica illehe, wake potlatch
sublil, mica hiu olo, nica wawa, mica clatawa, wake mitlite ocoke illehe,
mica wake clatawa, nica mameloose mooge, moos, mameloose cuitan mameloose
Boston man.  Wake mica potlatch sublil, mica potlatch chickamin, nica
clatawa tum water, nich ischum shut, nica ischum iknuse, nica ischum
sublil.  Old man doctor hias close tillicum, hias close tumtim, wawa nica,
charco tum water mica potlatch sublil, nica potlatch chickamin."

This translated freely is a conversation carried on by a white man and an
Indian who has come to the white man's cabin to beg for food.  The Indian
proceeds to tell the white man, or "Boston man," as he calls him, that he
is no good, inasmuch as he has taken possession of the Indian land and now
refuses to give him any flour or meal with which to make bread.  The
Indian then speaks deprecatingly of himself, and says he is a man of small
consequence, and points to his squaw, whom he says is his wife, and that
she talks a great deal too much, like some other females.  The Indian then
becomes very importunate, and says excitedly, when refused the desired
flour, that he will "mamaloose moose, mamaloose cuitan, mameloose Boston
man," which is a declaration that he will kill the white man's cattle, and
his horses and even the white man himself.  The conversation winds up with
the assertion that "the old doctor is a very good man" and that he has
been good to the Indians by promising to give them flour.

Mr. Ankeny, during early days, was a teamster throughout this country, and
passed frequently up into Idaho and Washington, coming into contact with
the Indians both in a casual way, and, during a large part of the time,
was a trader and packer, he having charge of many large pack trains.
Indulging in reminiscences, Mr. Ankeny related many intere3sting stories
of those early days.  Illustrating how sometimes men from the east found
difficulty in understanding the crude expressions used by the Indians, Mr.
Ankeny told about an army officer who had an Indian guide.  The latter
told him a certain place was one sun or one day's ride distant.  The
officer took that as meaning about 15 miles, and ordered a march begun.
The result was that the troops were left on a dry prairie with no water
and shelter.  The Indian had meant by "one sun" about 50 miles.

[end of story]

I've typed out the Chinook Jargon as it appears in the newspaper article,
misspellings and all, and there are numerous punctuation errors in the
original.  As another sort of quiz, I want to ask you folks:  Can you
correct the original?  And how accurate do you find the English
translation given by the newspaper writer?

Levi Ankeny was a 'pioneer' businessman in Spokan[e] Falls, Washington
Territory, as I recall; there's still a somewhat swank "Ankeny's Lounge"
here.

Note that knowing Chinook Jargon is treated as a rare skill here in the
southern inland corner of its range!

Contrast this with Goldendale, Washington; in the 1930's, a grandfather of
someone I once knew routinely used Jargon to speak with the Indians who
worked on his farm.  That's upriver Chinook territory, of course, wigna?

Best,
Dave





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