Meacham #2

[Aron Faegre]

Thanks to all who provided comments on the notes from "Wigwam & Warpath"
by Meacham.  I have assembled all of the comments into one document
which will be available to anyone who wants it.  But before finishing
it, I thought lets go ahead and do the same for Meacham's "Wi-ne-ma" and
include them together.  Wi-ne-ma is mostly about the "Modoc Wars" so the
words referred to may be mostly Modoc rather than Chinook Jargon.  All
comments appreciated.

Chinook Jargon & Native Words Used in the book

Wi-ne-ma
(The Woman-Chief.)
and Her People

by Hon. A. B. Meacham
Ex-Superintendent of Indian Affairs; Chairman of the late Modoc Peace
Commission; and author of the "Wigwam & War-Path", etc. etc.

Hartford, Conn.:
American Publishing Company.
1876

Wi-ne-ma is a book dedicated to the memory of the native woman of that
name who saved the life of Meacham during the Modoc Wars.  It is also
written as a defense to the Modocs who killed General Canby and Reverend
Dr. Thomas and almost killed Meacham.  Meacham felt strongly that the US
government and American culture had treated the Modocs so poorly that
the Modocs had been justified in their actions.  The book includes
descriptions of his later attempts to travel around the United States
with members of the Modoc band who had participated in the killings, to
attempt to convince the public of the wrongs done to the Modoc peoples.
He describes how this effort failed.

pg. 8:  These words were spoken in the ancient language of the
"La-la-cas."
Ancient Modoc language

pg. 19:  Ka-moo-kum-chux
God

pg. 20:  They were formally known as the La-la-cas.
the Modoc tribe

pg. 20:  Wi-ne-ma
the Woman-chief

pg. 20:  Nan-ook-to-wa
the Strange Child (first name of Wi-ne-ma)

pg. 22:  I-sees
the Son of God (a Christ-like person in the tradition of the La-la-cas,
according to Meacham)

pg. 22:  to the sacred lakes in Yai-nax Mountain

pg. 22:  U-le-ta
Wi-ne-ma's boy lover when she was young

pg. 24:  Se-cot
Wi-ne-ma's father

pg. 27:  Soon Frank learned enough of the language to understand what
Wi-ne-ma meant when she sang "Ka-mis-no-stin-to" (a Modoc love-song).
Frank Riddle, a white man, became her husband.

pg. 59:  Kau-Tux
already (Captain Jack's words signaling the start of the assassination
of the peace commissioners)

pg. 60:  Schonchin sprang to his feet, and drawing both a knife and a
pistol shouted, "Chock-e-la" (Blood), pointed at my head, and discharged
the pistol.

pg. 62:  ... had already so far lifted the scalp that he had inserted
the fingers of his left hand beneath it, preparatory to tearing it off,
when Wi-ne-ma recovering her presence of mind, resorted to strategy,
shouting exultantly, "Kap-ko Bostee-na-soldier!" (Soldiers coming.)
Boston Charlie scalping Meacham, assuming he is dead.

pg. 74:  Wal-aiks-ski-dat
the Left-Handed Chief Who Lives Between Two Rivers

pg. 74:  Yum-nis Poe-tis
the Chief Without Beauty

pg. 74:  Tow-ed
Conscripted by the Medicine Spirit of the Departed Klamates [Klamaths?]

pg. 74:  Ka-o Stin-tos
the Inseparables [--a name given to two young men]

pg. 78:  I-sees Jo-kol-e-kas
a sacred stone of Modoc tradition

pg. 78:  Ki-ent-poos
the Man of Strong Words and Great Deeds -- Captain Jack's Modoc name

pg. 79:  Chic-chix-us
Scar-face-Charlie -- so named on account of a scar extending from his
forehead to his chin made by a wagon wheel within which he fell
[chick-chick = wagon?]

pg. 86:  Chum-munt
Steamboat Frank's Modoc name -- his Modoc parents died at birth so he
was raised by a young Indian woman of 17 who had a loud voice, thus she
was called by her people "Steamboat".  Once Frank was 15 he and
Steamboat became husband and wife.

pg. 87:  Ski-et-tete-ko
left-handed man -- Shacknasty Jim's Modoc name

pg. 88:  Ka-okes-a
witchcraft

pg. 109:  Yum-nis-poe-tis
the Chief Without Beads

pg. 112:  Ka-moo-kum-chux
God or the Great Spirit

pg. 116:  Mar-cha
the mother

pg. 116:  I-sees
Peace Maker

pg. 121:  Three of my Indians composing "The Meacham Lecture Company" of
1875 were Flat-Heads.
[Wasn't the practice of flattening the head more commonly in the
Columbia River area?]

pg. 130:  Ut-ti-na
a half-Modoc and half-Pit River Indian

pg. 131:  He was "tow-ed," by some great spirit; that is to say, he was
"marked for a medicine-man".

pg. 139:  General Wheaton, as many of my readers will do, would have
laughed at the declaration, especially when informed, as they might, and
would have been, had the chief condescended to do so, that his
medicine-man had counted the army while in a trance and under the
influence of Ka-okes (medicine-making) that Ka-moo-kum-chux had placed
at his command a band of Indian skokes (spirits), and that he -- the
medicine-man -- had sent these skokes in detail to ascertain the
strength of the approaching army and the whereabouts of every company.

pg. 141:  Kap-ka, Ka-moo-kum-chux
Come Great Spirit

pg. 141:  Kap-ka, I-sees
Come Son of God

pg. 141:  Kap-ka, Ditchee Skokes
come good spirits

pg. 142:  Kap-ka, Nan-ook ko-la-ka-ho sti-nos
come all, into our hearts

pg. 142:  Ka-moo-kum-chux, sne-kotch-na Lo-was-Yan-na nan-nook-ux
wal-chot-ka
Great Spirit, send a dark cloud over these rocks [a fog rolls in, and
the US Army of 100's of men attacks but takes a complete beating by the
14 Modoc men]

pg. 143:  Ka-oked
imbued with divine power

pg. 145:  Ot-we!
Fire! (the guns)

pg. 147:  Tit-che-kaitch-ko-na Che-la-ka Nis-ko-ka
pretty girl with cross eyes
[description of her funeral]

pg. 147:  Lock-e Snow-itch-us O-pi
mother of Tit-che-kaitch-ko-na and sister of Ki-ent-poos (Captain Jack)

pg. 148:  chi-pi-no
burning place (for funeral pyre)

pg. 149:  Chow-ot-kan Che-la-ka
farewell, Che-la-ka [more commonly used name of Tit-che-kaitch-ko-na]