Hope 1893: anonymous Stó:lō letter, for the Snass Sessions1
Presented by David Douglas Robertson, PhD
Consulting linguist, Spokane, WA, USA
1 This letter was certainly written by a newly literate Native person, as we can tell from many traits of its handwriting,
grammar, and word choices. For background on the main subject of this letter, see “Alcoholism and the First Literate
Generation”, “Peytavin’s Letter from Cheam, BC”, and most specifically the “ Temperance Pledge, Stó:l ō Style (1893) ”.
Material in < angled brackets > is not in the Chinuk Pipa alphabet in the letter; material that is asterisked* is an
uncertain reading. Punctuation and capitalization have been added by me. [Bracketed] material is inferred by me.
(Parenthesized) material is added by me for clarity of translation.
< 1 >
‘[Page] 1.’
Shanwari < 15 1893 HOPE >.
‘January 15, 1893, Hope.’
Port Hop tanas-man kwanisim makmak ayu lam.
‘The Port Hope youth have kept drinking lots of alcohol.’
Kanawi wam-ilihi pi kanawi kol-ilihi, klaska mamuk kakwa.
‘All summer and all winter, they’ve done this.’
Pi kwanisim klaska ashnu kopa klaska taii.
‘But still they kept kneeling for their chief.’
Wiht klaska ashnu kopa liplit.
‘They also kneeled for the priest.’
Pi pus chi klaska kopit ashnu kopa klaska taii, wiht klaska aiak klatwa makmak lam.
‘But as soon as they finished kneeling for their chief, they ran off again to drink alcohol.’
Pi spos liplit klatwa kopa klaska ilihi, klas[ka] haha-milalam.
‘And when the priest visited their village, they made confession.’
Pus chi liplit klatwa mash klaska ilihi, wiht klaska aiak klatwa makmak lam.
‘As soon as the priest went to leave their village, they ran off again to drink alcohol.’
Kopa ayu taim klaska mamuk kakwa.
‘Over and over they did this.’
Klaska taii Piir, chako-til pi chako-sik iaka tomtom, pi iht Sondi, klaska kanawi chakokanamokst
kopa taii iaka haws.
‘Their chief Pierre, he got feeling sick and tired (of it), and one Sunday, they gathered at the chief’s
house.’
Taii Piir iaka wawa, “Tlus alta msaika kopit-ashnu pi msaika kopit-haha-milalam.”
‘Chief Pierre said, “You guys, go ahead and stop kneeling and stop making confession.” ’
“Wik kaltash ukuk ashnu, pi wik kaltash ukuk haha-milalam.”
‘ “This kneeling is no joke, and this confessing is no joke.” ’
“Drit msaika mamuk-kaltash S[ahali-]T[aii] iaka wawa.”
‘ “You’re really insulting God’s words.” ’
“Kakwa, tlus msaika kopit-mamuk-styuil; tlus msaika kuli kah msaika tiki, pi msaika klatwa
makmak ayu lam.”
‘ “So, go ahead and stop praying; go ahead and hang out wherever you feel like, and go drink a lot.” ’
Pi kanawi ukuk tilikom, klaska mash taii iaka haws, pi klaska kuli kopa klaska haws.
‘And all of those guys, they left the chief’s house, and they wandered off to their houses.’
Pi iawa klaska mamuk-tomtom pus klaska kopit-makmak-lam, pi klaska kanawi klatwa kopa iht
haws.
‘And then they decided that they’d stop drinking, and they all went to another house.’
Pi klaska mamuk lo pus kopit-kuli kopa masachi, pi klaska kanawi wawa, “Tlus
‘And they made rules to stop getting into trouble, and they all said, “Let’s” ’
Page
alta nsaika mamuk yunion.”
‘ “form a union now.” ’
Pi kanawi tanas-man klaska tlus-tomtom pus mamuk yunion.
‘And all the young guys were excited to form a union.’
Klaska mash klaska nim kopa pipa, pi klaska mamuk skukum lo, ilo klaska alki kakshit ukuk lo
kopa klaska.
‘They put their names onto paper, and they made a strict rule that they’re not going to break those laws
that are on them.’
Pi klaska mamuk ukuk ayu lo kopa ukuk yunion.
‘And they made this bunch of rules for that union.’
Pus klaska kopit mamuk ukuk lo, klaska klatwa kopa taii Piir iaka haws, pi klaska mamukkomtaks
kopa taii Piir ukuk lo klaska mamuk.
‘When they were done making those rules, they went to chief Pierre’s house, and they let chief Pierre
know (about) those rules they’d made.’
Pi taii Piir iaka chako-komtaks kanawi ukuk tilikom klaska wawa.
‘And chief Pierre got to know what all these people were saying.’
Pi taii Piir iaka wawa, “Wik naika m[amuk-n]awitka ukuk msaika wawa.”
‘But chief Pierre said, “I don’t believe what you guys are saying.” ’
“Ayu taims msaika wawa kakwa.”
‘It’s been a lot of times that you’ve talked like this.’
Pi taii Piir iaka wiht wawa, “Alki naika komtaks pus drit msaika mamuk yunion, pi alki msaika
tlus-nanich msaika lo.”
‘And chief Pierre also said, “Some day I’ll know whether you’ve really formed a union, and (whether)
you’ve respected your (own) rules.” ’
Pi kakwa, alta, Port Hop tanas-man tlap-skukum-tomtom.
‘And so then, the Port Hope youths got encouraged.’
Alta tlun mun pus klaska mamuk ukuk yunion, pi nawitka klaska tlus-nanich klaska lo.
‘Now it’s 3 months since they formed that union, and they really have respected their rules.’
Nanich, ukuk piltin tilikom, pus kwanisim patlach tlus wawa, ilo klaska iskom ., pi klaska tlapskukum-
wawa.
‘You can see, those troublemakers, if (anyone) gives good advice, they don’t accept it, and they get a
talking-to.’
Aiak klaska tiki chako-tlus, pi kwanisim Stalo tilikom klaska kakwa.
‘(Then) they want to shape right up, and all of the Stó:lō folks are that way.’
Iht-iht tilikom kopa kanawi-kah ilihi kopa Stalo, klaska sahali-tomtom.
‘Some folks here and there all along the Stó:lō (Fraser River) are stuck-up.’
Pi pus klaska tlap-skukum-wawa, aiak klaska tiki chako-tlus.
‘But when they get a talking-to, they want to shape right up.’
March* < 30 >,
‘On March 30,’
Page 2
< 2 >
‘[Page] 2.’
Tsilis tilikom klaska tlap-lapilitas.
‘The Chehalis (BC) people got a penance.’
Ski*-wam-ilihi, klaska makmak ayu lam.
‘In the springtime, they’d been drinking a lot.’
Kakwa, tlun mun pus liplit ilo klatwa kopa Tsilis.
‘So it was 3 months while the priest wasn’t visiting Chehalis.’
Pi taii kopa Tsilis iaka ayu wawa kopa liplit.
‘And (so) the chief at Chehalis talked with the priest a lot.’
Iaka tiki liplit klatwa kopa Tsilis.
‘He wanted the priest going to Chehalis.’
Pi liplit klatwa . Tsilis March < 8 >.
‘And the priest went to Chehalis on March 8.’
Klaska iskom kikuli-tomtom kopa liplit, pi klaska ashnu pus iskom ukuk kwinam lo.
‘They behaved in a humble way towards the priest, and they kneeled to accept those 5 rules.’
Klaska mamuk-tsim klaska nim kopa pipa, pi klaska tlap haha-milalam, pi klaska wiht tlap
lapilitas pus ilo iskom [likalisti] kopa mokst Sondi.
‘They wrote their names on paper, and they received confession, and they also received a punishment,
to not take communion for 2 weeks.’
Skrawlich tilikom kanawi kanamokst liplit kopa Skrawlich, pi liplit patlach kopa Skrawlich
tilikom.
‘The Scowlitz people were all there along with the priest from Scowlitz, and the priest gave
communion to the Scowlitz people.’
Pi kopit mokst Sondi, liplit wiht klatwa . Tsilis kanamokst Skrawlich tilikom.
‘And after 2 weeks, the priest visited Chehalis again with the Scowlitz people.’
Kanawi tlap haha-milalam, pi kanawi tilikom tlap , pi Tsilis tilikom klaska tlus alta.
‘Everyone got confession, and all of the people got communion, and the Chehalis people are better
now.’