Wawa Jargon/Ojibway

[Jeffrey Kopp]

Hi.  Here is my reply to the inquirer about "wawa" in Jargon and
Ojibway.  Mike was the only one to comment; he suggested another
possible Ojibway word in the Jargon so I mentioned it and asked if
our friend in Ontario might know about it.  Perhaps we can get a
dialog going about other Ojibway words which might look similar to
Jargon ones.

>Hi, Howard.  The Jargon Web site is mostly finished, but I do keep
>the links fresh and fix things from time to time.
>
>Re "wawa" in Ojibway/Jargon: I believe there is no connection.  I was
>aware of Wawa, Ontario from Web searches for Jargon words.
>
>Gibbs:  Wau´-wau, v., n.  Nootka, Nittinat, WÂWE.  To talk; speak;
>call; ask; tell; answer; talk or conversation.  Cultus wauwau, idle
>talk; stuff; nonsense; hyas wauwau, to shout. 
>
>Shaw:  Wawa, or wau-wau, v. n. (N) (Nootka, Nittinat,-wawe.—Gibbs.
>Chinook,-awawa.—Boas.) To talk; speak; call; ask; tell; answer;
>enquire; declare; salue; announce; talk or conversation; converse;
>apply; articulate; allege; assert; blab; gab; chatter; communicate;
>argue; gossip; demand; discuss; express; exclaim; hint; interrogate;
>lecture; mention; narrate; proclaim; profess; propose; question;
>relate; remark; report; request; say; solicit; message; an anecdote;
>exclamation; oration; legend, question; tale; sermon; speech; voice;
>harangue; inquire; jabber; mutter; supplicate; declamation; mandate;
>narrative; precept. Example: ikta mika wawa?—what did you say?
>[etc.]
>
>I found one Jargon word maybe from Ojibwa, in Shaw:
>
>Muck´-a-muck, n., v.  The word has been regarded as an invented one,
>but is probably Ojibwa, as it is said to be in use at the Sault St.
>Mary.  Food; to eat, to bite.  Muckamuck chuck, &c., to drink water
>or other liquid.
>
>One of the Jargon group thought the Jargon word "lepishemo"
>(saddle-blanket) may have come from Ojibway.  I can't confirm this.
>The "le-" prefix suggests it came from French, but I don't know
>French, and the word bears no possible phonetic relation to the
>contemporary French I looked up for either "blanket" or "saddle."  It
>might possibly have come from Ojibway into the Jargon via the
>French-Canadian voyageurs.  I would be interested to hear if you
>might know about it.
>
>Regards,
>
>Jeffrey Kopp