Western Scenes and Reminiscences Part 30

Ask him the name for red rock, and he will answer miskwaubik,--for white rock, and he will answer waubaubik, for black rock mukkuddawaubik,--for yellow rock, ozahwaubik,--for green rock, ozhahwushkwaubik,--for bright rock, wa.s.sayaubik, for smooth rock, shoishkwaubik, &c. compounds in which the words red, white, black, yellow, &c. unite with aubik. Pursue this inquiry and the following forms will be elicited.

_Impersonal._

Miskwaubik-ud. It (is) a red rock.

Waubaubik-ud. It (is) a white rock.

Mukkuddawaubik-ud. It (is) a black rock.

Ozahwaubik-ud. It (is) a yellow rock.

Wa.s.sayaubik-ud. It (is) a bright rock.

Shoiskwaubik-ud. It (is) a smooth rock.

_Personal._

Miskwaubik-izzi. He (is) a red rock.

Waubaubik-izzi. He (is) a white rock.

Mukkuddawaubik-izzi. He (is) a black rock.

Ozahwaubik-izzi. He (is) a yellow rock.

Wa.s.sayaubik-izzi. He (is) a bright rock.

Shoiskwaubik-izzi. He (is) a smooth rock.

Add _bun_ to these terms, and they are made to have pa.s.sed away,--prefix _tah_ to them, and their future appearance is indicated.

The word "is" in the translations, although marked with brackets, is not deemed wholly gratuitous. There is, strictly speaking, an idea of existence given to these compounds, by the particle au in aubic, which seems to be indirectly a derivative from that great and fundamental root of the language iau. Bik, is, apparently, the radix of the expression for "rock."

Let this mode of interrogation be continued, and extended to other adjectives, or the same adjectives applied to other objects, and results equally regular and numerous will be obtained. Minnis, we shall be told, is an island: miskominnis, a red island; mukkaddaminnis, a black island; waubeminnis, a white island, &c. Annokwut, is a cloud; miskwaunakwut, a red cloud; mukkuddawukwut, a black cloud; waubahnokwut, a white cloud; ozahwushkwahnokwut, a blue cloud, &c. Neebe is the specific term for water; but is not generally used in combination with the adjective. The word _guma_, like _aubo_, appears to be a generic term for water, or potable liquids. Hence the following terms:--

Gitshee, Great. Gits.h.i.+guma, Great water.

Nokun, Weak. Nokauguma, Weak drink.

Mushkowau, Strong. Mushkowauguma, Strong drink.

Weeshkobun, Sweet. Weeshkobauguma, Sweet drink.

Sheewun, Sour. Sheewauguma, Sour drink.

Weesugun, Bitter. Weesugauguma, Bitter drink.

Minno, Good. Minwauguma, Good drink.

Monaudud, Bad. Mahnauguma, Bad drink.

Miskwau, Red. Miskwauguma, Red drink.

Ozahwau, Yellow. Ozahwauguma, Yellow drink.

Weenun, Dirty. Weenauguma, Dirty water.

Peenud, Clear. Peenauguma, Clear Water.

From minno, and from monaudud, good and bad, are derived the following terms. Minnopogwud, it tastes well; minnopogoozzi, he tastes well.

Mauzhepogwud, it tastes bad; mawzhepogoozzi, he tastes bad.

Minnomaugwud, it smells good; minnomaugoozzi, he smells good; magghemaugawud, it smells bad; mawhemaugoozzi, he smells bad. The inflections gwud, and izzi, here employed, are clearly indicative, as in other combinations, of the words _it_ and _him_.

Baimwa is sound. Baimwawa, the pa.s.sing sound. Minwawa, a pleasant sound.

Maunwawa, a disagreeable sound. Mudwayaushkau, the sound of waves das.h.i.+ng on the sh.o.r.e. Mudwayaunnemud, the sound of winds. Mudway au kooskau, the sound of falling trees. Mudwak.u.migis.h.i.+n, the sound of a person falling upon the earth. Mudwaysin, the sound of any inanimate ma.s.s falling on the earth. These examples might be continued ad infinitum. Every modification of circ.u.mstances--almost every peculiarity of thought is expressed by some modification of the orthography. Enough has been given to prove that the adjective combines itself with the substantive, the verb and the p.r.o.noun--that the combinations thus produced are numerous, afford concentrated modes of conveying ideas, and oftentimes happy terms of expression. Numerous and prevalent as these forms are, they do not, however, preclude the use of adjectives in their simple forms. The use of the one, or of the other appears to be generally at the option of the speaker. In most cases brevity or euphony dictates the choice. Usage results from the application of these principles. There may be rules resting upon a broader basis, but if so, they do not appear to be very obvious. Perhaps the simple adjectives are oftenest employed before verbs and nouns, in the first and second persons singular.

Ningee minno neebau-nabun, I have slept well.

Ningee minno weesin, I have eaten a good meal.

Ningee minno pimmoossay, I have walked well, or a good distance.

Kagat minno geeghigud, It (is) a very pleasant day.

Kwunaudj ninG.o.dahs, I have a handsome garment.

Ke minno iau nuh? Are you well?

Auneende ain deyun? What ails you?

Keezhamonedo aupadushshawainenik, G.o.d prosper you.

Aupadush Shawaindaugoozzeyun, Good luck attend you.

Aupadush nau kinwainzh pimmaudizziyun, May you live long.

Onauneegoozzin, Be (thou) cheerful.

Ne miuwaindum waub.u.maun, I (am) glad to see you.

Kwanaudj Kweeweezains, A pretty boy.

Kagat Songeedaa, He (is) a brave man.

Kagat onis.h.i.+shsha, She (is) handsome.

Gitshee kinozee, He (is) very tall.

Uggausau bawizzi, She (is) slender.

Gitshee sussaigau, He (is) fine dressed.

Bishegaindaugooziwug meegwunug, They (are) beautiful feathers.

Ke daukoozzinuh? Are you sick?

Monaudud maundun muskeekee, This (is) bad medicine.

Monaudud aindauyun, My place of dwelling (is) bad.

Aindauyaun mitshau, My place of dwelling is large.

Ne mittigwaub onis.h.i.+shsha, My bow (is) good.

Ne bikwukon monaududon, But my arrows (are) bad.

Ne minwaindaun appaukoozzegun, I love mild, or mixed, tobacco.

Kauweekau neezhikay ussamau ne sugguswaunausee, But I never smoke pure tobacco.

Monaudud maishkowaugumig, Strong drink (is) bad.

Keeguhgee baudjeegonaun, It makes us foolish.

Gitshee Monedo nebee ogee ozheton, The Great Spirit made water.

Inineewug dush ween ishkadawaubo ogeo ozhetonahwaun, But man made whiskey.

These expressions are put down promiscuously, embracing verbs and nouns as they presented themselves; and without any effort to support the opinion--which may, or may not be correct--that the elementary forms of the adjectives are most commonly required before verbs and nouns in the first and second persons. The English expression is thrown into Indian in the most natural manner, and of course, without always giving adjective for adjective, or noun for noun. Thus, G.o.d is rendered, not "Monedo," but, "Geezha Monedo," _Merciful Spirit_. Good luck, is rendered by the compound phrase "Shawaindaugoozzeyun," indicating, in a very general sense _the influence of kindness or benevolence on success in life_. "Songedaa" is alone, _a brave man_; and the word "Kagat,"

prefixed, is an adverb. In the expression "mild tobacco," the adjective is entirely dispensed with in the Indian, the sense being sufficiently rendered by the compound noun "appaukoozzegun," which always means the Indian weed, or smoking mixture. "Ussamau," on the contrary, without the adjective, signifies, "pure tobacco." "Bikwakon," signifies blunt, or lumpy-headed arrows. a.s.sowaun is the barbed arrow. Kwonaudj kweeweezains, means, not simply "pretty boy," but _pretty little boy_; and there is no mode of using the word boy but in this diminutive form--the the word itself being a derivative, from kewewe, conjugal with the regular diminutive in _ains_. "Onaunegoozzin" embraces the p.r.o.noun, verb and adjective, _be thou cheerful_. In the last phrase of the examples, "man," is rendered men (inineewug) in the translation, as the term man cannot be employed in the general plural sense it conveys in this connection, in the original. The word "whiskey," is rendered by the compound phrase ishkodawaubo, literally, _fine-liquor_; a generic for all kinds of ardent spirits.

These aberrations from the literal term, will convey some conceptions of the difference of the two idioms, although, from the limited nature and object of the examples, they will not indicate the full extent of this difference. In giving anything like the spirit of the original, much greater deviations, in the written forms, must appear. And in fact, not only the structure of the language, but the mode and _order of thought_ of the Indians is so essentially different, that any attempts to preserve the English idiom--to give letter for letter, and word for word, must go far to render the translation pure nonsense.

2. Varied as the adjective is, in its changes it has no comparative inflection. A Chippewa cannot say that one substance is hotter or colder than another; or of two or more substances unequally heated, that this, or that is the hottest or coldest, without employing adverbs, or accessory adjectives. And it is accordingly by adverbs, and accessory adjectives, that the degrees of comparison are expressed.

Pimmaudizziwin, is a very general substantive expression, in indicating _the tenor of being or life_. Izzhewabizziwin, is a term near akin to it, but more appropriately applied to the _acts, conduct, manner, or personal deportment of life_. Hence the expressions:

Nin bimmaudizziwin, My tenor of life.

Ke bimmaudizziwin, Thy tenor of life.

O Pimmaudizziwin, His tenor of life, &c.

Nin dizekewabizziwin, My personal deportment.

Ke dizhewabizziwin, Thy personal deportment.

O Izzhewabizziwin, His personal deportment, &c.

To form the positive degree of comparison for these terms minno, good, and mudjee, bad, are introduced between the p.r.o.noun and verb, giving rise to some permutations of the vowels and consonants, which affect the sound only. Thus:--

Ne minno pimmaudizziwin, My good tenor of life.

Ke minno pimmaudizziwin, Thy good tenor of life.

Minno pimmaudizziwin, His good tenor of life.

Ne mudjee pimmaudizziwin, My bad tenor of life.

Ke mudjee pimmaudizziwin, Thy bad tenor of life.