How babies crawl in Chinuk Wawa

[Dave Robertson]

Aw jeez, I was just packing up to go home when I found this.  Got to take a 
minute to send it along.  I like it because it's about a baby crawling 
("kuli kopa iaka lima").  I have a kid (another one!) who's getting ready 
to do that.

This is from a Christmastime 1894 letter from someone who sounds blunt like 
a teenager, writing from Canim Lake, Secwepemc country:

Naika tomtom ayu tilikam mitlait kopa ukuk ilihi.
I THINK MANY PEOPLE LIVE IN THIS PLACE
"I thought there were a lot of people that lived in this place [Soda 
Creek?]."

Pi ilo.  
BUT NO
"But there's not."

Kopit iht ol man pi iht lamiaii [crossed out] ol klushiman pi iht 
ONLY ONE OLD MAN AND ONE OLD.LADY OLD WOMAN AND ONE 
"There's just one old man, one old woman, and one

tanas man. 
LITTLE MAN
little boy."

Ukuk tanas man aias klahawiam[,] makst sno pi ilo mitwit[,] pus 
THIS LITTLE MAN VERY PITIFUL, 2 YEAR AND NOT STAND, WHEN 
"This little boy is really pitiful, 2 years old but can't stand, (so) when 

tiki koli kopa iaka lima.  
WANT MOVE ON HIS HAND
(he) wants to move (it's) by crawling."


--Dave R

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