maklak (was RE: Jargon in Alaska Gold Rush?)

[David D. Robertson]

Good questions from both of you.  I don't know of any attestation
of 'mukluk' in CJ anywhere, any time.  The word evidently went from Eskimo
into English, not into CJ.  I can only guess, but will do so willingly,
that Alaskan CJ would've used a word derived from English 'shoes'
or 'boots' to express an equivalent concept.  (<Stick shoes>, maybe
even?)  In any case, we do know the word 'boots' in Chinook Jargon was
widespread -- I have seen it in Kamloops Wawa several times, as well as
from Oregon.

The main problem with figuring out for sure what Alaskan CJ was like is,
ta-daa, pretty-near nobody ever sat down to record much of it.  We now
have to rely on scraps gleaned from older sources and from oral history,
where Jargon shows up most often in the form of songs.

Let me work in an answer to Nadja's question here, too.  The Klondike
National Historical Park in Skagway (and Seattle) informs me there's no CJ
in their archival holdings.  On the other hand I have made contact with
descendants of those who were in Alaska circa Klondike-era and pre-
Klondike, and have found CJ was indeed used by some of them.  Also, as
with the question of Alaskan CJ in general, what you have to do to learn
about it is:

Research.

When I grow up I will write up the results of my own research on this
topic.  Maybe I'll be grown up by the time I'm 39.  Then you all can come
to the 2005 Chinuk Lu7lu and hear the report.

Kloshe nanich (halo klatawa chuck).

--Dave




On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 13:44:58 -0800, Mitchell Roy
<roy.mitchell at SEALASKA.COM> wrote:

>Other than that the places where mukluk was used, and where CJ was used,
in
>Alaska, were hundreds of miles apart?  And there are no bearded seals
>anywhere where CJ is attested?  Maybe I'm missing something.  First off,
is
>'mukluk' attested in CJ as a word for waterproof, sealskin boot?
>Thanks.
>Roy Michell
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ros' Haruo [mailto:lilandbr at hotmail.com]
>Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2003 8:24 PM
>To: roy.mitchell at SEALASKA.COM
>Cc: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>Subject: Re: Jargon in Alaska Gold Rush?
>
>
>Still, if there was in fact significant use of CJ in Alaska and the
>Klondike, isn't it likely that "mEqlEq" or "maklak" or something in
between
>was *in* Chinook (Jargon) regardless of where it may have been *from*?
>
>lilEnd
>
>>From: Mitchell Roy <roy.mitchell at SEALASKA.COM>
>>Reply-To: Mitchell Roy <roy.mitchell at SEALASKA.COM>
>>To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>>Subject: Re: Jargon in Alaska Gold Rush?
>>Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2003 08:13:43 -0800
>>
>>Quick note:  'Mukluk' doesn't come from Chinook; rather, it's a loan from
>>Central Yup'ik Eskimo, maklak, where it refers to the species of seal
>>(bearded seal, a.k.a. thong seal) whence hard-bottomed mukluks are made.
>>Roy Mitchell
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Jon Burpee [mailto:jburpee at YAHOO.COM]
>>Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 7:37 PM
>>To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>>Subject: Re: Jargon in Alaska Gold Rush?
>>
>>
>>I think Robert Service, the klondike poet, uses terms here and there.
>>Check out "The Low-Down White" for an unpolitically correct usage of
>>'klooch' (kloochman) and Siwash.
>>
>>Check out "The Ballad of Hard-Luck Henry for a use of 'cheechako'
>>
>>Check out "the Ballad of Blasphemous Bill" for use of 'mucklucks' and
>>'cheechako'
>>
>>Undoubtedly, there are more in Service's poetry.
>>
>>Jon Burpee
>>
>>Nadja Adolf <yakimabelle at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>>
>>Anyone know of any sources on this?
>>
>>
>>
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