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Fascinating manuscript entitled "Chinook Vocabulary," 13 pages, 5 x 8, circa mid-19th century. This fascinating manuscript documents common words and phrases used by the Chinookan peoples of the Pacific Northwest, principally as part of their pidgin trade language which incorporated indigineous words, onomonopoia, and vocabulary adopted from English and French. Among the entries are: "Boston-man; Boston tillicum - American," "Canim - canoe," "Chickamin - metal; money; iron," "Chuck - water," "Closche nanish - water," "Cloockman - woman," "Cap-su-wallah - steal," "Cultus hee-hee - dance," "Dahblo (diavolo) - devil," "Hankachim - handkerchief," "Hooihut - road," "Ichfat - bear; animal," "Kah mica chaco? Where do you come from?," "Kamooks - dog; mean fellow," "Kaw-kaw - crow," "Kimoose - tobacco," "Kewitan - horse," "King George man - Englishman," "Laboush (la bouche) - the mouth," "Mamook poo - to fire a gun," "Nah-wil-kah - yes, certainly," "Pesayooks - French; foreigner," "Potlatch - give," "Quak-quak - uck," "Shixe - friend," "Skookum - strong, stout," and "Yak-wah - this way." In very good to fine condition, with soiling to the covers some pages detached but present.
An accompanying old auction description attributes the manuscript to Dr. Joseph B. Brown, a surgeon in service with the 9th Infantry from 1856–1858 who spent time at Fort Dalles, Oregon. The observant and curious Dr. Brown evidently came into contact with Chinook Indians and recorded his own dictionary of their words and phrases. Much of the same material is found in 'A Partial Vocabulary of the Chinook Jargon,' an addendum to 'The Canoe and the Saddle' by Theodore Winthrop, published in 1863.
