Smith River Rancheria

[Mike Cleven]

David Lewis wrote:
>
> Klahowya-
>         I am enjoying all of the language lessons. I am falling far
> behind those of you who are rapidly gaining the CJ but I hope to have
> time in the future to do some catching up. My own studies are coming
> along nicely and I have been skimming through some manuscripts which
> are unpublished. The manuscript I am not browsing is gathered together
> by Al Logan Slagle The Tolowa Nation of Indians Parts I, III, IV.
> While looking over the many references (and looking for smelt fishing
> info) I have encountered some Chinook Jargon being used in the Journal
> of Smith River  and in the local newspapers from Crescent City and Del
> Norte County. These are very early dates so I hope this will surprise
> many on the list.
>
> Part I
>
> October 24, 1866  (112)
> Grand Wa-Wa of Smith River <Gylish> ...died at 12 o'clock midnight.
> (Grand Commander?)

The Grand Wa-Wa title is interesting.  Could it be that "grand" was
adopted within local usage; i.e. this was their own (or his) choice for
the title?  Maybe just a blend of English and Jargon, but where do we
draw the line?  The HBC was active in that region wasn't it? - could
this be a French borrowing in the local version of the Jargon?  The
title for high chief in the Gulf of Georgia-Strait of Juan de Fuca was
"Hyas Tyee", which was often translated as "king", or rather "king"
could be translated into Chinook that way.  Hyas tyee remains a
still-seen expression even in major newspaper columnists' writing,
usually when referring to a company boss or some big social magnate with
"old blood" or deep roots in the Province.  The "Grand Wawa" title is
interesting, though, in that it points to the oratory role of the chief
and the rich oral tradition that survives in the powerful
English-language orations by many modern native leaders; and evidently
polished speech-making was something of a local craft within the
region's society, as told by Simon Fraser concerning the statesmen-like
gathering and speeches held at Camchin/Kumsheen to debate his arrival;
Fraser described the hours-long debate as full of high and mighty speech
of obvious eloquence; I don't have his journals handy for the quote.
>
> March 4, 1882 the _Record_  (145)
> The Indians in this vicinity have for some ten or  twelve days past
> been indulging in their annual or, as we have heard it called, their
> "muck-a-muck," dance at Crescent City.
> (the Naydosh!)

The Naydosh?

Muckamuck was used that way in BC, too, including by non=natives; it
could also mean a party/picnic/barbeque.  You might've said "there's
gonna be a big muckamuck over at John's on Saturday", although making it
"big muckamuck" referred to something more like a large public event.
I'd bet that this expression is still around in many of the Island towns
and variously in the smalltown/rural Interior.
>
> Jan. 20 ,1855 Crescent City Herald  (36)
> The Head Chief spoke and said that he himself was the "Great Chief"
> and that he had a great deal of Aliqua-Chick.
> (Shell money)
>
> August 17, 1857 Crescent City Herald  (65)
> ...were willing to exchange al-a-que-cheek...
> (shell money)
>
> November 31, 1857  Crescent City Herald   (68)
> On Monday the 16th, the Agent succeeded in getting them to make peace
> and exchange all-a-que-cheek.
> (shell money)

I suspet that saying "allakacheek" was something like saying "dollar" is
nowadays even if the user doesn't actually speak English; universally
recognizable throughout the Known World.  Money's that way.....
>
> Part III
>
> Sunday Sept. 23 1866  Jounal of Smith River (62)
> Capt. Jim "Big Injun" still retains possession of the Skookum-House
> with much composure and dignity.
> (this could be the Indian Methodist church as they rested on Sunday)

Sounds more like the chiefly residence, if anything; "skookum house" is
usually "prison" but could mean "strong/big/secure house"; the
corresponding term in BC being "Big House" ("Hyas House" I don't think
was used that way).  What else could "possession" mean unless the guy
was holding a sit-in.  What's the rest of the article this is quoted
from?
>
> Oct. 24 1866 Journal of Smith River  (69)
> Grand Wa-Wa of Smith River...
> (apparently copied by the newspaper above)
>
> (this one is complicated)
> Sat. Nov. 10 1866 Journal of Smith River  (72)
> Two high toned diggers by the name of Tom and Bob are "Luxuriating at
> the great American Restaurant ," notwithstanding, both him the sicks.
> <note: I assume the latter note was a joking reference in pidgeon
> English and the jargon of the day to Tom's and Bob's incarceration,
> while ill, in the Reservation jail, for contemporary newspaper
> references to jailings for fighting and drinking are similar...>
> (further note: so_ American Restaurant _would mean "Jail?")

A well-known native hangout/bar, perhaps; an establishment name?  I
don't quite get why the "the" in "both him the sicks".  You'd expect
"both him sicks" whichever half of the pun is being perceived.  Must be
ideomatic in local English "pidgin" there, i.e. the way white people
imitated native English usage.
>
> This is all I could find in this manuscript. I would assume that the
> jargon would have come through trade routes and the travels of the
> Tolowa-Tututni-Rogue River  peoples. This truly supports a pre-shaker
> origin for at least some jargon. There is also the fact that the
> Tolowas-Tututnis-Rogue Rivers were moved to the Coast Reservation in
> the 1856 (Schwartz 1997) and were probably exposed there as well.  In
> fact Schwartz presents evidence of  heavy "Chenook" use on the Coast
> Reservation  in 1857 (p.165).

Which seems to back up the idea that Jargon existed in some form
_throughout_ the region (not just among the Nootka/Makah and Chinook and
their immediate neighbours).  If people down into this area had learned
the Jargon by that date, it had something to do with more than the HBC
or the yet-to-come efforts of the Oblates.  IIRC the whole of southern
Oregon and northern California is quite a linguistic patchwork; many
different languages - a region in which the Jargon would have been
_very_ useful to natives, with or without the presence of white traders
and other colonists.  Was northern California opened up as quickly as
the Bay Area and goldfields, or was it more remote in those days like
most of the Northwest remained for many years after?