Help with translation?

[David D. Robertson]

Klahowya, Sue,

Good point--Hyasman might not have been Quinault, but his descendants may
be members of the Quinault Tribe.  A number of Cowlitz Indians moved to the
Quinault reservation in the 1800's, as did many Chinooks and other folks
who weren't (as we all now know to say) "ethnically" Quinault.

You appear to be doing some very thorough research.  My compliments!

In the few hours since first seeing your Jargon sentences, I've realized
that the girl being mentioned was talking about herself.  It also seems
possible that the pronoun "nika" at the end of the sentence is there for
emphatic effect:  "I'll never get a man, (not) me!"

Note the place name "Labush Satsop" is Chinook Jargon for "the mouth of the
Satsop [River]".

"Tiewitt", if it's a horse's name, would be Chinook Jargon for "Legs", but
perhaps it's a German personal name instead.

There may be more good Jargon stuff scattered about in your collection of
letters!

Thank you very much for sharing all of this with us.

--Dave


On Thu, 10 Oct 2002 18:49:59 -0700, Sue Schafer <schafs at ATTBI.COM> wrote:

>David Robertson wrote:
>"If it became a family name, I'm interested to know."
>
>Heiseman is the name listed in the land records at the national archives,
>and the name that appears in my letters indicating that he is Indian.
>Hyasman is the name of the Indian who lived in that area and was close to
my
>family (info from local history book).   I asked someone who is a member of
>the Twanah tribe and she said that Hyasman was a Quinalt name (she had
>Quinalt friends with that name).   I called the Quinalt Community Center
but
>the resident expert was on vacation.   So I still have to doublecheck
>that.....I guess it is still technically heresay to say that Hyasman was
>Quinalt.   I don't know what his descendents call themselves...I'd like to
>know myself!
>
>"[When] she was just a girl [and] she always said I'd never get a man."
>
>The girl who married....Margarethe...would have been 21 yrs old when she
>first came to the Satsop.   She might very well have said this..... When
she
>got to the Satsop she found a job as a servant in Olympia and later ended
up
>working in the household of Bailey Gatzert in Seattle.   She married at age
>26....not especially young for that era.
>
>"It would really be something to see the document and get contextual info
to
>help decipher this passage"
>
>I copied the English translation below.  I have the letters transcribed in
>the German too if you ever want to see it.   The original letter itself is
>with my translator.  She is in Bellevue and I'm in Seattle....so I can
>always go and get it if you (or Jim or anyone else)  think it would be
>helpful....and I can scan it in.  There are several hundred pages
translated
>so far, with more letters to come.   It seems that my great grandparents
>wrote frequently!!  I don't think you will see much to help you in this
>translation, but you might find the letter an interesting "slice of 19th
>century pioneer life".   My great grandmother was very lonely down there
>with no women folk to talk to....this was especially difficult when she was
>pregnant and facing delivery without a close woman friend to help (she
spoke
>of her embarrassment).   My great grandmother was Margarethe's stepmother.
>When this letter was written, JD Schafer (Father Schafer) was 55, his wife,
>Anna, was 35 and Margarethe was 26.
>Best,
>Sue
>
>      Satsop, June 6, 1876
>
>      My dear Children!
>I hope you happily arrived in your new home.  The first rush is soon
>evaporated and stark reality  will be confronting you.  None of you is an
>ideal --- a perfection.  Only flawed human beings.  If only you endeavor to
>find your own faults and not those of the other to discard them, then you
>are on the right path to become happy.  On the other hand, if you just look
>on the other person, trying to correct and anger him --- then you will make
>life miserable and the most beautiful home - which is heaven -  becomes
>hell.  Man does not need much to be happy.  We find as many happy people in
>huts as in palaces.  The main rule for happiness in matrimony is:
>                          Carry life's burdens together and
>                          Get along with each other.
>O, I wish that you will be happy! --- Work on being happy.  If you want to,
>you have the quality to do so.  You both are worthy of happiness.  However,
>one must adapt to each other.  You must become one --- of one mind ---  be
a
>unit.  But each one of you has corners and hooks.  They should not chafe at
>each other until they are worn away.  Each one alone must try to grind them
>down and every new day must find that the two strange parts have become a
>better fit.    You must discard  your old habits and, together,  accept
each
>other, etc.
>
>Page 2
>I wanted to close but now I just remembered that I would  like to say a
word
>about religion.  Treasure and care for it together. --- I don't mean
>dogmatic religion, consisting of customs and ceremonies.  I mean a deeply
>felt connection with God. --- A Prayer in spirit and in truth --- to always
>be in God's presence.  If you go two to three times every week to a
>reflection in Zkooke [ a book on meditations - the correct title is:
>Zschokke, Heinrich: Stunden der Andacht zur Befíº í´¥rung wahren Christenthums
>und häµ³licher Gottesverehrung . Aarau /Schweiz.  This book had many
>editions - the 3rd
>edition had been printed in 1818!]
> together --- that will be a good basis for you.
>Dennis is planning to go to Olympia with butter on the 28th and to get hoes
>and other things for the harvest.  You would do me a favor if you could let
>me know right away what the price is in Seattle, so he knows what to do
when
>he is in Olympia.  If he can get the same here, he will sell it, but if the
>market is saturated at this moment, then he will send it to you.  We do not
>mean to create a disadvantage for you and that you should pay a price which
>the butter does not have.  We only want to protect ourselves  from  the
>daily fluctuations in Olympia and against the crooks,  the storekeepers who
>like to exploit the farmer's vulnerability, knowing full well that the
>butter can not be taken back 50 miles. --- Write soon and often.  We are so
>far apart and this is the only way to talk to each other.
>                           Greetings from your father
>                                          D. Sch䦥r
>
>               Best greetings from your brother
>                                   D. Sch䦥r
>
>Page 4
>               Satsop, June 7
>My dear Gretchen and Leonhard,
>How did the trip go?  I hope you got home happily and are happy and content
>with your new state of being,  of becoming  one.  O, marriage is beautiful
>if one is happy, but it can be the most unhappy life in the world as well.
>O, only love can uphold the happiness, because where there is no love there
>is no affection.  What is this little bit of life on earth if one is
bitter!
>Then it would be better not to be on this earth.  O, I hope that you are
>happy.
>Now something else.  Well, Leonhard, what does it look like with the
>pocketbook?  Which one of you has the first (chips?) in it?  I am afraid
>that Gretchen's part will be (.?) now that the blues are over.  But, dear
>Gretchen, how was the first of June?  I hope it was not all hat bad.  One
>imagines the worst and then the best is yet to come.  Don't take it hard.
>How did you like Portland?  Didn't  you meet any relatives?  We received a
>letter from there, from a man named Anton Hilte.  He would like information
>from here.  We don't know him.
>
>Top of Page 4, upside down
>Sorry about the bad writing, time was short.
>
>Page 3
>Dear Gretchen, I think I still hear your voice in the house or I hear you
at
>the machine.  But to no avail!  You are gone, gone!  O, if only it were not
>so far from here and we could see each other at least once a month.  But it
>shall not be.  O, dear Gretchen,  I can't tell you how I sometimes feel, so
>alone.  I am already homesick for you!
>Stienchen is sick as well, she has a sore throat and probably caught a
cold.
>We are now planting rutabaga and already planted 6 to 7000, and cabbage as
>well.   I want to send a piece of cake to mother in Cross Plains.  We have
>not heard from there until now.  Yesterday Moos and Jim Watson were here.
>The two and father worked on the road on the other side.  They said that it
>will be a good road and that it should be done by next fall.  And the mill
>will be coming in Elma.  They already have 1100 (400?) signatures together.
>Brady also signed fifty and Anderson 200 etc.  Now you could be at Heiesmä® 
>G䲫's wedding next week. They sure were surprised to hear that you were
>already married!  Klutsch said (Heiesm䮳) kawaneike dum Dum, bos ammak kkuk
>Shie kod neke wauman.Komber Deneds Klumschem䮬 be kanisem wouwaure heller
>Iskum Mä® nike.  Are you coming to the committee as well?  Dionis, Stienchen
>and Julchen will go too.  I probably cannot expect a letter from you this
>week.  Well, I guess I will forgive you again!
>
>Top of page 3, upside down
>All the best greetings from your loving mother.  Greetings from Stienchen
as
>well and next time she can write herself.  Greetings from all the children.
>                                                      Anna Sch䦥r
>
>Left margin of page 3
>Peter said that if  you  left again then he would not let you go!
>
>[Here is the letter that mentions the wedding]
>
>Satsop, June 22, 1876
>
>         Dear Grethchen and Leonard!
>
>I wrote you a letter on June 7  but have not received an answer yet.  Is it
>your post master who is so lazy or -- -- -- you? -- --
>Your letter, Grethchen, we received yesterday.  It was dated on the same
day
>we wrote and was therefore on the road for two weeks.  So it has to be the
>mail.  From mother you have heard of Arnold's death.  On such occasions I
am
>always reminded of these words:  Man thinks and God is in charge.  Alive in
>the morning, dead in the evening. --  No death has touched me so little as
>this one. -- -- --
>I am glad that you are happy.  May it last!! -  Strive to become more and
>more worthy of each other - and you will have a solid foundation for future
>happiness.  Never be idle!!  If you are without work - then find some.
>Doing nothing makes you boring - disagreeable - surly - etc.  How are the
>Ishers(?) in Portland?  How did you meet them?   Good bye!  Be happy!  I
>hope we will hear other news from you  then just singing and dancing.-Do
not
>forget your loving father
>                                      D. Sch䦥r
>
>
>Page 2
>          Dear Sister and Brother-in-law!
>I am glad that you arrived happy and safely at home.  I wish I could be
with
>you.  Mother and I are making an over skirt from her green dress.  She
wants
>to wear it after ..
>Best greetings now from your loving sister
>                                 Christina Mí±²í¼¥r
>
>            Dear Sister and Bother-in-law!
>Heinsman's .. has married in Labush Satsop.  There were about 130 Indians
>present.  We were there but we did not get any dinner.  I am glad you
>happily arrived at home.  We picked up Tiewitt's (?) foal  last Sunday.  It
>threw me off three times.  It is working fine now.  Widerkind (?) has cut
>into his foot.  These are all the Satsop news.  But just one more.  Juwo
got
>young .  Four are still alive.  If you would like to have a lap.. then I
>will bring one with me.  They already eat by themselves.
>                                  Best regards from your brother
>                                  and brother-in law    D. Schafer