Chipewyan Texts

72 Pages·1912·5.57 MB·English, Chipewyan

by  Pliny Earle Goddard

ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS
OF
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM
OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME X.
NEW YORK
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES
1917
EDITOR.
CLARK WISSLER.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME X.
Part I. Chipewyan Texts. By Pliny Earle Goddard, 1912 . . . 1
Part II. Analysis of Cold Lake Dialect, Chipewyan. By Pliny Earle
Goddard, 1912 ... . . 67
PartIII. Chipewyan Tales. By Robert H. Lowie, 1912 . . . . 171
Part IV. The Beaver Indians. By Pliny Earle Goddard, 1916 . . . 201
Part V. BeaverTexts. ByPliny Earle Goddard, 1916 . . . . 295
Part VI. Beaver Dialect. ByPliny Earle Goddard, 1917 . . . 399
Index .. . . . . . . 547
ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS
OF THE
American of Natural
Museum
History.
Vol. X, Part 1.
CH I PEWYAN TEXTS .
BY
PLINY EARLE GODDARD.
NEW YORK:
Published by Order of the Trustees.
1912.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL PAPERS
OF THE
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOL. X, PART I.
CHIPEWYAN TEXTS.
BY PLINY EARLE GODDARD.
CONTENTS.
PAGE,
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . a
KEYTOSOUNDS . . . . . . . . 5
TEXTS . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1. THE MONSTER BIRD . . . . 7
Translation . . . . . 46
2. RAISED-BY-HIS-GRANDMOTHER . . . . 14
Translation . . . . . 50
3. THE DISCOVERY OF METALBYACAPTIVE WOMAN 18
Translation . . . . . 52
4. AMAN-EATING MONSTER. . . . . 21
Translation . . . . . 53
5. CROW-HEAD . . . . . . 22
Translation . . . . . 54
6. EBEDAHOLTIHE 25
Translation . . . . . 55
7. HIS-LEG-TREMBLES . . . . . 28
Translation . . . . . 57
8. THEJACKFISH THATBECAME A MAN . . 30
Translation . . . . . . . . 58
9. CEREMONYFOROTTER . . . . . 31
Translation . . . . . . . . 58
10. MOOSE ANDRABBIT . . . . 32
Translation . . . . . 59
11. BEARANDSQUIRREL . . . . . 32
Translation . . . . .. . 59
2 Anthropological PapersAmerican MuseumofNaturalHistory. [Vol. X.
PAGE.
12. BEAVERAND MUSKRAT . . . . 34
Translation . . 60
13. THE BoYWHOBECAME STRONG . . . 34
Translation . . . 60
14. How LOTKILLED THE DUCKS . 42
Translation . . . 63
15. ENNOU'sHUNTINGTRIP . 43
Translation . 64
16. THEDEATHOFEDALAKONE . 45
Translation . 65
INTRODUCTION.
These texts result from a visit to the Chipewyan of Cold Lake Reserve,
Alberta, Canada, from June 28 toJuly 15, 1911. Thisvisit wasmadewith
the desire of obtaining at first hand some definite knowledge of the sounds
and structure of a northern or Dene dialect of an Athapascan language for
the purpose of comparison with Pacific Coast and southern dialects.
Thebandwhichnumbers 273 is attachedtoOnion LakeAgency. They
are the southernmost Chipewyan and therefore are closely associated with
the Cree. Their manner of life is still much that which has prevailed in
the Mackenzie Valleyfor a century. The winters are spentin hunting and
trapping, for which purpose, long journeys are taken into the wilderness
to the north, dogs and sledges being used for transportation, and tents for
shelter. The food required is obtained from the fur-bearing animals
trapped,and anoccasional moose. Anarrative of such a tripwas obtained
and is presented in text 15. The summers are spent about the lakes where
fishandwaterfowlareplentiful. Travelisbybirchbarkcanoesandmaybe
continued many miles to the north and east with but short and occasional
portages. Recently, grain has been sown, gardens raised, and a few milch
cows kept.
The only primitive arts remaining relate to the building of canoes, and
the making of snowshoes and moccasins. The moccasins are in one piece
of moose skin colored by the spruce smoke with which the hide is cured
and have decorations at the instep worked in silk.
The entire band are faithful Catholics. The church literature and
ministrations are in the Chipewyan dialect. Father LeGoffI has been
their missionary for forty years and knows their language thoroughly.
No instance of the old religious practices or beliefs was observed. The
olderpeopleremember anannualspringceremonycalled, "feedingthefire"
during which many small pieces of animal food were placed in the fire.
Part of an old ceremony was unwittingly obtained in text 8. This was
used in fishing, the story being related in accompanying songs. Inquiry
resulted in securing one other fragmentary text (9), and accounts of other
ceremonies relating to fishing and hunting. Mentionwas also made of the
former use of a tall sweat lodge in which songs were sung and other cere-
monial acts occurred.
X The author of."Grammaire delaLangueMontagnaise." Montreal, 1889.
3
4 Anthropological PapersAmerican Museum ofNaturalHistory. [Vol. X.
The texts are myths and tales apparently typical of the Chipewyan
and other D&n6. Most of them have parallels among those of PetitotI
and those obtained by Dr. Lowie which will appear as a number of this
volume. Unlessotherwise indicated byfootnotes, theywere obtained from
Jean Baptiste Ennou, a man of about thirty-five years of age who speaks
good English although his schooling was confined to a few terms in a
school formerly maintained on the Reserve. The texts are reproduced as
first recorded with the exception of a few evident errors of writing. The
inaccuracies and errors due to hearing have been intentionally retained
since such errors often point to the character of the sounds misunderstood.
Thesecondpartof this volumewill furnishan analysisof the material here
presentedwith manyillustrative tracings. All commentson phonetics and
structure are reserved for that paper.
"Traditions IndiennesduCanadaNord-Ouest, parEmilePetitot." Paris, 1886.