Personal Memoirs of a Residence of Thirty Years with the Indian Tribes On The American Frontiers Part 16

Wi, _He_. Wid, _They_. Masculine. Wiwin, _Yourselves_. (Mas.) Wiwind.

Si, _She_. Sid, _They_. Feminine. Siwin, _Yourselves_. (Fem.) Siwind.

DECLENSION OF p.r.o.nOUNS.

Ni, Nin, Nee--_I, Mine, Me_. Nid, Nida, Nidim--_We, Us, Ours_.

Ki, Kin, Kee--_Thou, Thine, Thee_. Kid, Kida, Kidim--_Ye, You, Yours.

_ Wi, Win, Wee--_Him, His, His_. Wid, Wida, Widim--_They, Their_, _Theirs_. (Mas.)

Si, Sin, See--_Her, Hers, Hers_. Sid, Sida, Sidim--_They, Their, Theirs_.

(Fem.)

The full meaning of the present cla.s.s of verbs and substantives of the language could be advantageously transferred to the first, or second, or third syllable of the words, converting them into monosyllables. The plural might be uniformly made in _d_, following a vowel, and if a word terminate in a consonant, then in _ad_. So the cla.s.s of plural terminations would be _ad, ed, id, od, ud_. Many generic nouns would require to be invented, and could easily be drawn from existing roots.

In the orthography of these, the initial consonant of the corresponding English word might serve as an index, Thus, from the word _aindum_, mind, might be derived,

Ain, _Mind_. Sain, _Sorrow_.

Tain, _Thought_. Jain, _Joy_, &c.

Main, _Meditation_.

So from _taibwawin_, truth, might be drawn _taib_, truth--_faib_, faith--_raib_, religion--_vaib_, virtue. A principle of euphony, or affinity of syllabication, might be applied in the abbreviation of a few of this cla.s.s of generic words: as _Eo_, G.o.d, from _monedo_.

THE ORDINARY NOUNS WOULD RUN THUS:--

In, _Man_. Ind, _Men_.

Ee, _Woman_. Eed, _Women_.

Ab, _Child_. Abad, _Children_.

Kwi, _Boy_. Kwid, _Boys_.

Kwa, _Girl_. Kwad, _Girls_.

Os, _Father_. Osad, _Fathers_.

Gai, _Mother_. Gaid, _Mothers_.

All the existing monosyllables of the language would be retained, but subjected to new laws of construction and concordance. Thus the plural of _Koan_, snow, would be _koanad; of ais_, sh.e.l.l, _aisad; moaz, moas, moazad_, &c. Variety in the production of sounds, and of proper cadences in composition, might dictate retention of a certain cla.s.s of the dissyllables--as _ossin_ a stone, _opin_ a potato, _akki_ earth, _mejim_ food, _a.s.sub_ a net, _aubo_ a liquid, _mittig _ a tree, &c., the plurals of which would be _a.s.sinad, opinad, akkid, mejimad, a.s.subad, aubad, mittigad_. Every substantive would have a diminutive form in _is_, and an augmentative in _chi_, the vowel of the latter to be dropped where a vowel begins the word. Thus, _chab_, a grandchild; _chigai_, a grandmother. _Inis_, a little man; _osis_, a little father, &c.

Adjectives would come under the same rules of abbreviation as nouns and verbs. They would be deprived of their present accidents of number and gender.

Min, _Good_. Koona, _Ugly_.

Mon, _Bad_. Soan, _Strong_.

Bish, _Handsome_.

The colors, seasons, cardinal points, &c., would consist of the first syllable of the present words.

The demonstrative p.r.o.nouns, _this, that, there, those_, would take the following forms: _Mau_, this; _aho_, that. By adding the common plural, the terms for _these_ and _those_ would be produced: _Maud_, these; _ahod_, those.

The prepositions would fall naturally under the rule of abbreviation applied to nouns, &c. _Chi_, by; _peen_, in; _kish_, if, &c.; _li_, of; _ra_, to; _vi_, is; _af_, at.

_Ieau_ is the verb _to be_. The auxiliary verbs, _have, shall, will_, &c., taken from the tensal particles, are _ge, gu, gei, go, ga_.

_Pa_ may stand for the definite article, being the first syllable of _pazhik_; and a _comma_ for the indefinite article.

_Ie_ is matter. _Ishi_, heaven.

EXAMPLES.

Ni sa Eo--_I love G.o.d_.

Eo vi min--_The Lord is good_.

Nin os ge pa min in--_My father was a good man_.

Ishiod (Isheod)--_The heavens_.

Thus a new language might be formed.

_24th_. The standard of value with the Indians is various. At this place, a beaver skin is the standard of computation in accounts. When an Indian has made a purchase, he inquires, not how many dollars, but how many beaver skins he owes. Farther south, where rac.o.o.n skins are plenty, _they_ become the standard. Some years ago, desertion became so frequent at Chicago and other posts, that the commanding officer offered the customary reward to the Indians of the post, if they would secure the deserters. Five persons went in pursuit, and brought in the men, for which they received a certificate for the amount. They then divided the sum into five equal shares, and subdivided each share into its value in rac.o.o.n skins. It was not until this division was completed, and the number of skins ascertained, that they could, by any fixed standard of comparison, determine the reward which each had received.

_25th_. It is stated in the newspapers that hacks of an axe were lately found in the central and solid parts of a large tree near Buffalo, which were supposed to have been made by La Salle's party. Other evidences of the early footsteps of Europeans on this continent have been mentioned.

A trammel was found in the solid substance of a tree in Onondaga. A gun barrel in a similar position in the Wabash Valley.[40] Growing wood soon closes over articles left upon it, in the wilderness, where they are long undisturbed.

[Footnote 40: Hon. R.W. Thompson.]

_27th. Monedo_ is strictly a term belonging to the Indian mythology and necromancy, and is constantly used to indicate a spirit. It has not the regular termination of the noun in _win_, and seems rather verbal in its aspect, and so far as we can decipher its meaning, _mon_ is a syllable having a bad meaning generally, as in _monaudud_, &c. _Edo_ may possibly be a derivation from _ekedo_, he speaks.

_28th_. It is a year ago to-day since I visited the tomb of Washington, at Mount Vernon. There were three representatives in Congress, in company. We left the city of Washington in the morning, in a private carriage, and drove down in good season. I looked about the tomb narrowly for some memento to bring away, and found some mineralogical fragments on the small mound over the tomb, which would bear the application of their book names. On coming back through Alexandria, we dined at a public hotel, where, among other productions of the season, we had cuc.u.mbers. What a contrast in climate to my present position!

Here, as the eyes search the fields, heaps of snow are still seen in shaded situations, and the ice still disfigures the bays and indentations of the sh.o.r.e in some places, as if it were animated with a determination to hold out against the power of the sun to the utmost.

Nature, however, indicates its great vernal throe. White fish were first taken during the season, this day, which is rare.

_29th_. A friend at Detroit writes under this date: "I had expected that before now, instructions would have reached here requiring you to repair to the St. Peter's. But as the season advances, and they do not arrive, I begin to fear that one of those mutations, to which of all governments upon this _mundane sphere_ ours is the most exposed, has changed the intended disposition."

_May 1st_. Winter still holds its grasp upon the ice in the lower part of the river and straits.

The _Claytonia Virginica_ observed in flower in favorable spots.

The bay opposite the fort on the north-west sh.o.r.e cleared of ice on the 2d, being the first day that the river has exhibited the appearance of being completely clear, a strong north-west wind blowing. It is just four months and ten days from the period of its final closing on the 22d of December.

The yellow sparrow, or boblinkin, appeared this day in the woods.

_4th_. The surface of the earth is undergoing a rapid transformation, although we are, at the same time, led to observe, that "winter lingering chills the lap of May." Sudden changes of temperature are experienced, which are governed very much by the course and changes of the wind. Nature appears suddenly to have been awakened from her torpid state.

All eyes are now directed to the east, not because _the sun rises there_, but it is the course from which, in our position, we expect intelligence by vessels. We expect a deliverance from our winter's incarceration.

_6th_. Lake Superior appears to be entirely open. A gentleman attached to the Boundary Survey at Fort William writes to me, under this date, that the bay at that place is free from ice, so as to permit them to resume their operations. They had been waiting for this occurrence for two weeks previously.