Sywash Derogatory?

[critterkids]

Hi gang!

I have kept quiet for a long time on this site...but this is too
irresistible not to respond to.  I am a member of the Wasco tribe of the
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.  I have lived my entire life on the
rez, except for a bit of time in college.  I believe, as do others in my
extended family, that the word "siwash" or any of its different spellings
is, indeed, a derogatory label.  As teenagers, we've had exposure to this
term in public school, resulting in a knock-down, drag-out brawl between
some of the guys.  A Native American, Indian or whatever anglo term you want
to use, might use this term when insulting another peer.  Sometimes the kids
will use this term, teasingly, with their friends in horseplay.   But I have
never heard of anyone referring to themselves as a siwash.  As to
credibility, I use myself and my extended family as my reference of
authority.  There is a group of people, from various tribal communities,
that are working to promote changes of place names, city or town names, or
other public identities (street and such) from derogatory names to something
more appropriate and neutral.  I will be sure to pass this information on to
one of my friends that is involved in this project.  Its not a matter of
being "over-sensitive" but rather a matter of respect...none of us, as
indigenous people, have asked for a national holiday for Sitting Bull,
Geronimo, Black Kettle, Wounded Knee or any of our other famous people or
significant places in history....yet.

Marcia Macy


----- Original Message -----
From: Ray Sayah Jr. <rsayah at u.washington.edu>
To: <CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: Sywash Derogatory?


> Dear Peter,
>
> Anyone who criticizes the ignorant (ignorant townspeople or
> locals) in such a way as this letter writer did - should be
> sure to include references to qualify what he/she is
> writing. Otherwise the person loses credibility and may also
> make the Indian community look "over-sensitive."
>
> This said, let me share my analysis on the word "si'-wash."
> I studied french for 5 years so I have a clue here. The word
> siwash is a mispronunciation of the french word "sauvage."
> (Also according to George Gibbs)(The "y" that the small
> community uses would cause a further mispronunciation.)
>
> But the French word, "sauvage" is not necessarily the same
> as the English word, "savage" as the letter writer alleges.
> Sauvage is a word used for any aboriginal group. One
> translation in the Larousse French dictionary is "indigene"
> which means "indiginous."
>
> One of my knowledgeable sources tells me that Indians he
> spoke to in the past few decades may have considered this
> word derogatory but that they still used to to mean "indian"
> and that they referred to themselves as such.
>
> The English language in America has failed to find a
> universally acceptable name for the continent's earliest
> residents, how can we expect the French explorers of the
> 19th century to have found a perfectly inoffensive name?
>
> Perhaps the word for Indian should be "tilikum" (or other
> spelling thereof) which people would the Chinook people have
> been speaking of?
>
> -Ray Sayah Jr.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: The Chinook List
> > [mailto:CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG]On
> > Behalf Of Peter Cawley
> > Sent: Monday, January 08, 2001 7:59 PM
> > To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> > Subject: Sywash Derogatory?
> >
> >
> > Living in Lantzville on central Vancouver Island,
> > I have noticed the
> > occasional Chinook Jargon place name. Two of the
> > foothills that overlook
> > the village of Lantzville are named Hyas Ridge
> > and Sywash Ridge. A road
> > called Sywash Ridge Crescent runs across the ridge.
> >
> > In the January issue of  "The Lantzville Log:
> > Lantzville's Community
> > Monthly", a letter writer took issue with the use
> > of the word "Sywash" as a
> > street name. She wrote:
> > "Sywash is a Chinook Jargon Trade word meaning
> > savage, a derogatory name
> > refering to the indigenous people of Canada and
> > in the same category a
> > "nigger, kike,  wop, kraut or chink". I cannot
> > imagine anyone in Lantzville
> > including these offensive words in their
> > vocabulary, never mind using them
> > in street names. I can only conclude the citizens
> > of Lantzville do not know
> > the meaning of the word Siwash and therefore do
> > not realize the racist slur
> > and gross insult incorporated into their
> > community plan. I can only hope
> > that, with the benefit of knowledge, the street
> > name wil be changed on that
> > lovely ridge to something truly reflective of its
> > beauty and location".
> >
> > Any comments?
> >
> > Peter Cawley
> > pcawley at island.net
> >
> > Peter Cawley
> > pcawley at island.net
> >