Questions re Allison 1892

[David Robertson]

Mrs. S.S. Allison's 1892 article, that is: "Account of the Similkameen 
Indians of British Columbia" in J Anth Inst of Great Britain and Ireland 
vol. 21, pgs 305-318.

She uses some words I'm unfamiliar with, which I don't find in Google 
searches:

- stitome (a sort of wild potato) (no cognate in the Okanagan or Thompson 
dictionaries?)
- lebine (made from soapberry; apparently = Indian ice cream?) (no cognate 
in the Thompson or Okanagan dictionaries?)
- nic-a-nic (a variant of "kinnikinnik")

I'd appreciate information on the first two.  I wonder if there's a remote 
chance they're from the old Nicola Athabaskan language?  (Allison gives one 
word that's definitely Nicola [though she isn't explicit about that]: <ike> 
= kinnikinnik berries.)  

She also uses Chinook Jargon terms:

- papoose stick (cradle board)
- kee-kee-lee fire (fire underground in the mountains according to 
traditional stories; ?volcano; compare missionaries' CJ <kikuli paia> 
= 'Hell')
- kee-kee-lee (pit house) (this word entered regional English with the same 
sense)

Note: 'Papoose stick' is pretty certainly CJ, though Allison doesn't 
comment on its origin.  'Papoose' is actually found in CJ documents from 
that region, and this use of 'stick' is obviously less like English than 
CJ.  

--Dave R

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