Sugarcane 1901: Charlie Melmorice’s 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. It shares a sheet of paper with a note from Father Fran.ois-Marie Thomas, OMI, on the
subject of residential school students; writing materials were expensive, especially in Indigenous communities, at the
time. 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.
Sugar-Kin Disimbir < 14 th, 1901 >
‘Sugarcane, December 14th, 1901.’
Kopa Pir Lshyun ukuk pipa.
‘This letter is for P.re Le Jeune.’
Naika tlap ukuk Chinuk buk maika mash kopa naika pi wiht ukuk Tlus Mari.
‘I received those Chinook books you sent to me and also that (image of) Saint Mary.’
Naika drit tlus-tomtom kopa ukuk. < X >
‘I’m very happy about that.’
Tanas-ayu tilikom tiki makuk katishism-buk, Shuswap kanamokst Chinuk pi Latin shanti; <
Shushwap Manual. > – – – < X >
‘Several people want to buy the catechism book, Secwépemc with Chinook and Latin prayers; the
“Shushwap Manual”.’
Kopa Sin Shosip Mison, wik-saia ilo mitlait kakwa buk, pi Pir Kiapini ilo skukum-tomtom pus
iaka makuk ayu kakwa. < X >
‘At Saint Joseph Mission, there’s hardly any such books, and P.re Chiappini doesn’t have a strong
heart such that he’d buy many like them.’
Kakwa, Pir Toma iaka wawa ilip*-tlus pus naika stor-kipir. < X >
‘So, P.re Thomas said it’s better for me to be the storekeeper.’
Pus maika mash iht-mokst dosin, klunas aiak naika silim kanawi. < X >
‘If you send one or two dozen, I figure I’ll sell them all right quick.’
Ilo naika silim ukuk Chinuk buk maika patlach kopa naika pus naika silim. < X >
‘I didn’t sell those Chinook books you gave to me for me to sell.’
Tilikom ilo ayu tiki Ø. < X >
‘The people don’t much want them.’
Pir Toma iaka mitlait iht wik kanamokst nsaika kopa Sugar Kin.
‘P.re Thomas stayed for a week with us at Sugarcane.’
Alta wiht iaka mitlait.
‘Now he’s here again.’
Nsaika ayu-mamuk kopa kanawi-ikta. < X >
‘We’re working a lot on all sorts of things.’
Pir Toma iaka mamuk-skul nsaika kopa maika Shuswap shanti. < X >
‘P.re Thomas teaches us from your Secwepemc songs.’
Tilikom aias-tiki ukuk shanti. < X >
‘The people love those songs.’
[F.M. Thomas writes in French:]
< Tout va bien; il n’y a eu que 12 run away de
‘Everything is all right; there were only 12 runaways from’
l’école; la plupart ont été ramenés; sauvages [SIC] sont
‘the (residential) school; most were brought back; (the) Natives are’
bien disposés mais l’économe de peur de dépenser
‘well disposed but the stingy one (Chiappini?), out of fear of spending’
quelques piastres ne veut pas envoyer apr.s les
‘a few dollars, doesn’t like to send after the’
run away, ou n’avertit m.me pas les parents; les
‘runaways, nor even let the parents know; the’
enfants qui ne vont pas toujours vers leur camp
‘kids, who don’t always go towards their village,’
sont exposés, sans* dire des parents . > tlap-klahawiam kopa stik
‘are exposed to the elements, without speaking of the parents being pitiful in the forest;’
< ; alors m.me qu’ils vont au camp, souvent il n’y a
‘even when they do go to the village, there’s often’
presque personne au camp; les parents n’y sont pas
‘hardly anyone in the village; the parents aren’t there’
aussi(,)* le chef y est, puisque* le chef de Alkali lake >
‘either*, the chief is there, since the chief of Alkali Lake’
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en a ramené 9* lui-meme, les chefs doivent généralement
‘brought back 9 of them himself, the chiefs generally have to’
attendre que parents [SIC] reviennent au camp; ce qui
‘wait for (the) parents to come back to the village; which’
expose les enfants . rester trop longtemps dehors
‘exposes the kids to staying too long outside,’
, ce qui est arrivé etc* – – – le gouvernement ne
‘which has actually happened, etc. — the government doesn’t’
paie pas apr.s tant de jours d’absence = mau-
‘pay after so many days of absence = a bad’
vaise spéculation; de plus les échappés ne revenant
‘business; what’s more, the escapees not coming back’
pas vite. C’est un encouragement pour les
‘quickly. It’s an encouragement for the’
autres . se sauver aussi. J’en ai ramené
‘others to “save themselves” too. I have brought back’
5 moi-m.me le lendemain de leur échappage.
‘5 of them myself the day after their escape.’
Vale, bonne année et bon Xas
‘Vale (Latin for ‘goodbye’), happy new year and merry Christmas.’
F.M. Thomas X >
F.M. Thomas.
Naika wawa klahawiam kopa maika
‘I say goodbye to you.’
Sharli Milmoriis
‘Charlie Melmorice’
<Charli Melmorice, Sugarcane
150 m.H. B.C. >
Relating to Charlie Melmolist/Melmorice, from the Kamloops Wawa newspaper:
Wiht klaska mamuk kakwa kopa
‘They also did like that at’
Shugar-Kin. < 30 > klaska ashnu
‘Sugarcane. Thirty of them kneeled’
kopa liplit, pi klaska patlash
‘to the priest, and they gave’
klaska nim pus aiak iskom [likalisti].
‘their names to receive communion soon.’
Ukuk klaska nim:
‘These are their names:’
< 1o > Wiam taii; < 2 > Rosali, iaka kluchmin
‘1. William the chief; 2. Rosalie his wife’
< 3. > Imil Moris, wach-man; < 4 > Agnis
‘3. .mile Morice, the communion watchman; 4. Agnes’
< 5 > Shilbir; < 6 > Matilda;
‘5. Gilbert; 6. Matilda;’
< 7. > Tiofil; < 8. > Shosifin
‘7. Théophile; 8. Josephine’
< 9. > Kamlups Batist; < 10 > Mari [I]milmoris.
‘9. Kamloops Baptiste; 10. Marie .mile Morice.’
– KW #116 (April 15, 1894), page 66
Naika mamuk ukuk sadl kopa liplit iaka haws: tanas-man kopa
‘I made this saddle at the priest’s place: it was a boy at’
skul mamuk ukuk sadl. Naika tlap-sahali-tomtom kopa ukuk
‘the (residential) school that made this saddle. I’ve gotten awfully proud about this’
sadl, kakwa naika tiki aiak mash ukuk sadl kopa kaltash sadl
‘saddle, so I want to sell this saddle soon for a worn-out saddle’
pi kaltash kot. Pus klaksta tiki hai-ton sadl, tlus iaka
‘and a worn-out coat. If anyone wants a high-tone saddle, they should’
makuk naika sadl, pi alki iaka tlap-sahali-tomtom kopa ukuk
‘buy my saddle, and some day they’ll get awful proud about this’
sadl. < X > Naika Milmolist kopa Shugir-Kin.
‘saddle. I’m Melmolist at Sugarcane.’
– KW #133 (October 1895), page 160 (The Sugarcane Bell)
Wiht naika tlap siisim kopa Wiams Lik ilihi,
‘I also received news from William Lake reserve,’
mimlus Sharli Milmolist kopa Ipril mun.
‘Charlie Melmolist died in April.’
– KW #201 (June 1902), page 140