Snass Sessions 09.02.2023: Peter Kwal’s/Cole’s letter from Lillooet, BC, 18951

David Douglas Robertson, PhD

Consulting linguist, Spokane, WA, USA

Some background information:

Peter Cole or Kwal wrote four letters that I have found so far in archives. Here we’ll be reading just

one of them. Now, a couple of appearances he made in Kamloops Wawa:

Mishil shanti-man kopa Soda-Krik, Wiam Waspulah

kopa Kanu-Krik, Shon Chakson kopa Lilwat pi Pitir Kwal

kopa Liluit, Fransis Shosif kopa Fawntin pi Moris

Saksi kopa Pavilion, klaska kanawi skukum hilp klaska

tilikom pus chako-komtaks Chinuk pipa. Wik-kata

pus wik klaska tolo.

(Kamloops Wawa #126, March 1895, page 34).

1 Lillooet, BC is a historically St’át’imc (“Lillooet”) Salish community. This document was found at the Archives

Desch.telets, now located in Québec.

• If you see [SIC] in square brackets it shows possible mistakes in the writing; other material [in square brackets] is

inferred and added by me.

• *Asterisked* material shows an uncertain reading of the Chinuk Pipa writing.

• Underlined material is in Chinuk Pipa, but in other languages than Chinook Jargon, e.g. Secwépemc Salish or

Englsh.

• Anything < in angled brackets > is non-Chinuk Pipa, e.g. written as standard English in the original document.

• The notation (Ø) shows that you can understand a clause to contain either “silent IT”or a “silent preposition”.

• I have put line breaks between every clause-containing sentence, and added punctuation, to help the reader. (But

I’ve preserved Peter Cole’s own “X” punctuation marks.) I’m experimenting with extra indentation to show the

existence of subordinate clauses. (And to reflect the flow of the speaker’s thoughts.)

Kopa Krismas ankati, <150> tilikom kopa

Kamlups, kopa Shushwap, kopa Nikola ItS[itira], mash

Chinuk-pipa, komposishons, kopa saia ilihi;

<50> tilikom tolo aias tlus pipa kakwa

piktyur, kah iaka cim klaska nim. Iakwa msaika

nanich klaska nim kanawi tilikom tolo ukuk

pipa:

…

<16.> Maria, Kol Watir <41.> Lakit Sho Skwamish

<17.> Agnis Vot, Kol Watir <42.> Shul Shishil

<18.> Ima Shosi*, Sk. <43.> Simo Shishil

<19.> Ashlik, Bonapart <44.> Sharli Pitir Slaiamin

<20.> Wiam Filip, Bonapart <45.> Kristian* Haris Hlawt

<21.> Adolf, Fawntin <46.> Wiam Silista

<22.> Pitir Kwol, Lilwat <47.> Marian Lio, ShKH

…

(Kamloops Wawa #159, page 183)

John Jackson and Peter Cole, ‘at Lillooet’, ‘are very anxious that all the people around them shall

become acquainted with the Chinook paper this winter. They are having their schools every evening,

and, no doubt, their efforts will be crowned with success’, he’s won a prize in a shorthand competition

(#159, December 1897).

The letter:

Lilwat < 1 >* Disimbar < X > 1895

‘Lillooet, 1st December 1895.’

Ukuk son naika tiki tanas-wawa kopa maika, naika papa Pir Lshyun.

‘Today I want to have a word with you, my father P.re Le Jeune.’

Iht man iaka patlach naika tlun-kwata,

‘This one guy gave me 75 cents,’

pi iaka wawa kopa naika

‘and he said to me’

pus “Ankati naika patlach maika iht kwata.” < X >

‘supposedly “I already gave you a quarter.” ’

Iaka wawa kakwa kopa naika.

‘That’s what he said to me.’

Ukuk man iaka nim Basil Blak*.

‘That guy’s name is Basil Black*.’

Wal, pus kah alki naika tlap stamps, < X >

‘Well, whenever I wind up getting stamps,’

alki naika mash ukuk tlun-kwata kopa maika. < X >

‘I’ll get around to sending this 75 cents to you.’

Post-ofas-man iaka tiki < 8 > sints stampi kopa ukuk tlun-kwata. < X >

‘The postmaster wanted 8 cents of stamps for (sending) this 75 cents!’

Kakwa, naika wawa kopa maika

‘So I’m asking you’

pus maika wiit tanas-lili.

‘to wait a while longer.’

Pus alki naika tlap stamp,

‘When I get around to finding stamps,’

iawa alki [maika] tlap ukuk maika chikmin.

‘that’s when you’ll get this money of yours.’

Kakwa tlus [ilo] maika sik tomtom kopa ukuk maika chikmin,

‘So please [don’t] be mad about this money of yours,’

kopa ukuk,

‘because’

ilo aiak maika tlap ukuk tlun-kwata. < X >

‘you didn’t get this 75 cents right away.’

Pi wiht naika mamuk-komtaks kopa maika: < X >

‘And I can also let you know:’

Lakit tanas-man klaska marid kopa Fawntan ilihi. < X >

‘Four young fellas got married at Fountain village.’

Iht man iaka nim Shimi Shim

‘One guy is named Jimmy Jim,

Potokalas iaka ilihi. < + >

‘his hometown is Port Douglas.’

Iaka chako-marid kopa Fawntan,

‘He got married at Fountain,’

iaka marid kopa Lusi Fawntan. < + >

‘he got married to Lucy Fountain.’

Pi wiht Simo iaka marid kopa Shini kopa Fawntan ilihi.

‘And also Simon got married to Jenny from Fountain village.’

Pi wiht Abil iaka marid kopa Rosali kopa Fawntan. < X >

‘And also Abel got married to Rosalie from Fountain.’

Pi wiht Aliksis Shims iaka marid kopa Brich Rivir taii iaka tanas. < X >

‘And also Alexis James got married to the Bridge River chief’s kid.’

Kopa < 209 > [SIC]2 kopa Novimbir, iawa klaska marid, ukuk lakit tanas-man kopa

Fawntin ilihi. < X >

‘It was on the 29th of November, that’s when they got married, those four young guys at

Fountain village.’

Pi wiht naika mamuk-komtaks kopa maika:

‘And I can also let you know:’

Lakit knim kakshit kopa win, (Ø) Lilwat Lik.

‘Four canoes were destroyed in a wind, at (Big) Lillooet Lake.’

Iawa ukuk lakit knim kakshit kopa win.

‘That’s where those four canoes were destroyed in the wind.’

O, drit drit skukum win. < X >

‘Oh, it was really really a powerful wind.’

Kakwa, ukuk lakit knim kakshit kopa win. < X >

‘So those four canoes were destroyed by the wind.’

2 “209” here seems to reflect the fact that Peter Cole is one of the many southern BC Indigenous people who had only

recently learned to write and read, and that he was familiar only with written Chinook Jargon, not with standard written

English. It also seems to reflect the known fact that northern-dialect Chinook Jargon speakers normally used English

words for numerals above 5. That is, here Cole was apparently writing “20” and “9”, i.e. English ‘twenty-nine’ – not

Chinook Jargon, which would have been “20 pi 9” (‘20 and 9’).

Wal, ash ol ai no dawn hiia, mai fadar,3 Pir Lshyun, (Ø) Kamlups.

‘Well, that’s all I know down here, my father, P.re Le Jeune, at Kamloops.’

Mai nim Pitir Kol in Lilwat.

‘My name (is) Peter Cole in Lillooet.’

Wal, naika wawa klahawiam kopa maika, naika papa, Pir Lshyun kopa tu4 Kamlups.

‘Well, I’ll say goodbye to you, my father, P.re Le Jeune at to [SIC] Kamloops.’

Naika nim Pitir Kol.

‘My name is Peter Cole.’

Wal, potoh ma na Pir Lshun.5

‘Well, goodbye then P.re Le Jeune.’

3 This and the next line are in pidgin-like English.

4 Tu is apparently the English ‘to’. Its appearance here is possibly influenced by the Secwépemc Salish language, into

which Peter Cole switches for the end of the letter. In Secwépemc, ‘Kamloops’ is Tk’emlúps.

5 In Secwépemc Salish.