CHINOOKAN LANGUAGES. 



Blanchet (F. N.) — Continued. 



Eiijilisli-Obinook vocabulary, \>\>. 3-10.— 

 Chiuook-Enjili.sh vocabiilurv. pi). 17-23.— Con- 

 versation.s in EuglisbCbiuook, jip. 24-26.^ 

 Lord's prayer in Jargon, p. 26. 



Copies seen : Bancroft. 



[ ] Dictionary | of the | Cbiuook Jar- 

 gon, I to which is addeil | mimerous 

 conversations, | thereby enabling any 

 person | to speak Cliinook correctly. | 

 Seventh edition. | 



Portland,Oregon. | F. L. McC'ormick, 

 publisher, 91 Second street. | 1879. 



Cover title a.s above, title as above ver.so pref- 

 ace I 1. text pp. 3-26, 24°. 



EnglisliCliiuook vocabulary, pp. 3-16.— 

 Chinook- English vocabulary, pp. 17-23.— Con- 

 versations in Engli-sh-Cliinook, jip. 24-26.— 

 Lord's praj'erin Jargon, p. 20. 



Copies seen: Congress, Georgetown. Wi-Ues- 

 ley. 



For later editions, see Gill (J. K.) 



[Writings in the Chinook Jargon.] 



In the preface to the Chinook Dictionary, 

 &c.. by Father Demers and others, is a state- 

 ment, concerning the origin of the Cliinook 

 Jargon and those who have written therein, 

 from which I make the following extract: 



'The Chinook Jargon was invented by the 

 Hud.son Kay Comi)any traders, who weie mostly 

 French-Caniidians. Having to trade witli the 

 numerous tribes inhabiting the countries west 

 of the Jiocky Mountains, it was neces.sary to 

 have a language understood by all. Hence the 

 idea of composing the Chinook Jargon. Fort 

 Vancouver being the principal post, the traders 

 of the twenty-nine forts belonging to the com- 

 pany, on tUe western slope, and the Indians 

 from every part of tliat inmiense country, had 

 to come to Vancouver for the trading season. 

 They used to learn the Chinook [Jargon], and 

 then teach it to others. In this manner, it 

 became univer.sally known. 



"The two first missionaries to Oregon, Rev. 

 F. N. Blanchet, V. G.. and his worthy com- 

 panion, Rev. Mod. Demers, arrived from Canada 

 to Vancouver, on the 24tli of November, 1838. 

 They had to instruct numerons tribes of 

 Indians, and the wives and children of the 

 whites, who spoke only the Cliinook. The two 

 missionaries set to work to learn it, and in a 

 few weeks Father Demers liad mastered it, 

 and began to preach. 



"He composed a vocabulary which was very 

 useful to other missionaries. He coiiiiiosed 

 several canticles which the Indians learned and 

 sang with taste and delight. He also translated 

 all the Christian ])rayei"s in the same language. 



"Such is the origin of the Chinoidi Jargon, 

 which enabled the two first missionaries in the 

 country to do a great deal of good among the 

 Indians and half-breeds. Tlie invention of the 

 Catholic-Ladder, in April. 1839. by Very Rev. 

 Blanchet, and its [oral] explanation iu Chinook, 



Blanchet (F. N.) — Continued. 



had a marvelous success, and gave the Cat holic 

 missionaries a great superiority and pre|iouder- 

 ance much envied by the missionarie.'e biloug- 

 ing to other denominations. 



"Father Demers, afterwarils Bishop of Van- 

 couver's Ishiud, has now gone to enjoy the 

 reward of Ids great labours and apostolic zeal. 

 It would be too bad to lose his dictionary and 

 other Chinook works. So Archbisliop Blan- 

 chet, who lias himself made a compendium of 

 the Christian Doctrine in the same language, has 

 hart the good inspiration to get the whole pub- 

 lished with his corrections and additions." — St. 

 Onge. in Demers' Chinook Dictionary. 



Referring to the Catholic Ladder, " and its 

 explanation in Chinook," mentioned in the 

 above extract. Father St. Onge writes me as 

 follows: "The Catliolic Ladder, of which I 

 sent you a copy, was, as you suggest, published 

 by Father Lacombe; but it is only an embel- 

 lished edition of the Ladder invented by Arch- 

 bishop rJanchet, in April, 1839. The arch- 

 bishop never printed any Chinook explanation 

 of it, and in my preface to the Chinook Diction- 

 ary the word oral should have been inserted." 



See Demers (M.), Blanchet (F. N.) 



and St. Onge (L.N.) 



Bishop Blanchet was born at St. Pierre, 

 Riviere-du-Sud, (Quebec, Canada, September .5, 

 1795: was educated in the Petit Seminaire, 

 Quebec, and was ordained July 18, 1819, by 

 Archbishop Plessis. In 1811 the Pacific Fur 

 Company established a trading post, called 

 Astoria, at the month of the Columbia River. 

 After came the Hudson's Bay Company, em- 

 ploying many Canadians, most of whom were 

 Catholics. Many of them settled and inter- 

 married with the ludi.ans of the territory, and 

 with these there was a demand for Catholic 

 priests and Catholic worship. 



Application was first made to the Rt. Rev. 

 .1. N. I'rovenclier, Bishop of Juliopolie (Red 

 River). The demand for Catholic priests was 

 earnestly indorsed by Sir George Simpson, 

 governor of the Hudson Bay ('ompaiiy, 

 writing from the British capital (1838). He 

 api)lied to the Mt. Rev. Joseph Signay, tiieu 

 Archbishop of Quebec. At once, in April, 

 1838, Bishop Signay instructed two of his 

 missionaries, the Very Rev. F. N. Blanchet and 

 the Rev. Modeste Demers, to take chargeof the 

 mission "situated between the Pacific Ocean 

 and the Rocky Mountains" — a mighty charge 

 for two men; but the men were apostles, and, 

 therefore, as full of practical zeal as of prac- 

 tical faith. Father Blanchet was vicar-general, 

 with Father Demers as assistant. 



The journey of the devoted missionaries to 

 their newmis.sion was along and mostlaborious 

 one, familiar enough in early Catholic American 

 history, though almost iii(()ni])reheiisible to us 

 in these days of rapid and easy transit. Tliej- 

 labored on tlieir route, baptizing and confirming 

 ill the faith many Indians, who, at various 

 forts, thronged to meet the long looked-for^/acAr 



