The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-06
IN SEARCH OF A WORD.
A Visit to Pere ROquette.

to the origin and correct translation of tn
word Tchefuncta." river flowing int
} Lake Pontchartrain for the sake of the loca
interest taken in the subject representative
of the BULLETIN started on q tour in search
of its derivation.
After considerable inquiry it was learned
that there was, perhaps, only one person II
the city capable of translating the word, and
that was the venerable Father Roquette.
In the afternoon of yesterday We paid s
visit to the old palace of the Archbishop, a
the corner of Ursulines and Chartres street
the Father. Entering broad gateway, OF
either side of which was a small room fol-
keepers, we proceeded towards the mair
building bstween rows of trembling althe
and broad beds of flowers. Here we were
shown up wide and ancient staircase, and
told that the room at the end OF the hallway
was Father Roquette's
| There was an air of quiet-it might he said
of perfect rest-about thelbuilding. The lazy
afternoon breeze toyed with the pomsgranate
blossoms below, and now and then rnfflsd the
feathers of the demure pigeons sedately sit
ting aloft on the roof, but the city seemed to
be lost to us, and we were in some dreamy
monastery of the East.
A figure approached US down the hallway,
and we made inquiries for the much-loved
father. We addressed priest some sixty-ive
years of age, with face peculiarly attractive
for its beaming good nature, and chaste
for its classic chiseling. Long curls of gray
hair fell gracefully over the shoulders aud
they. with the brilliant eyes of the wearer,
called to mind the great naturalist, Audubon.
Il was Pere Roquette. We were politely in
yted into his room and the reason of our
visit made known.
The chamber was about twelve by fourteen,
and made weird-looking by the deep rich
shadows, with here and there a quaint nook
brought out by the rays of sunlight peeping
in through an old window. The walls were
covered with shelves, and on them hundreds
of curious old volumes, their backs looking
| out from their places like silent warders OF
the chamber. In one corner was a simple
couch, and in several parts of the room small
punches of herbs and roots from our wild
woods lay quietly resting, awaiting some
| canny hand" to change them into curative
draughts.
so you wish to see me about some Indian
word" said the Father, smiling benignantly.
There are very many of them, and perhaps
nevertheless I'll try if can help YOU" And
he went on to say "The Chocaws who lived
land some ofthem still live about this city )have
made many compound words, and they have
become SO corrupted, passing on French and
Spanish tongues, they are diff cult to recognize
now. Yes, l have made the Choctaw lam
guage my study for some time. and | have
dictionary of their tongue. / have written,
but never published.
ut is over forty years ago now since first
took up my dwelling with them, and have been
studying the language ever since. They had
quite large village on Bayou Lscombe, some
fourteen miles north of Vaudeville, across
the lake, but during the war it was broken up
and all were scattered; some still gather roots
and make baskets for our markets here but
they have no village-they camp about in the
woods.
s.Let me see, dear sir, what was the word
you are iu search Of? 'Tchefuncta ?'"-laugh-
ing" 'Tchefuncta ! Oh, yes I know the
stream we'll"
Pere Roquette seemed pleased with the
question. 1t revived his spirit for study, and
with grace almost child like he walked over
to large trunk and opened it. A perfume
of bay leaves, a sweet scent Of Louisiana hill
sides, pervaded the appartm emu and he came
back with a bundle of manuscripts neatly
tied up.
Excuse me, sir, but you can wait few
minutes" said he, and turning page after
page, pored over the labor of his younger
years.
"Ah! we have it now. 1t has been badly
dealt with, this word Itch sfuncta.' It means
small CHESTNUT sir, or chicapin, a small
nut growing on the banks of that river. Its
sound is sweeter in Choctaw. It is 'Hachoo-
fakty, and gradually came to be pronounced
& co. <ha TnI eli,
mate the first syllable, and from that 'Choo-
funkte came, and then, as it is called now,
'Tchefuncta' The chicapin-the nuts
familiar to all here The Choctaws always
place the substantive first and the qualifying
adjective afterwards. Hachoo (chestnut)
fakty (smalD."
The reverend father then went into a
philosophical and pathological discourse and
evidenced the close study and attention he
had given the Indian languages. Becoming
warmed with the subject, he spoke in glowing
terms of the wonderful imagery of their
tongue and its wealth of poesy.
"Why, sir, one can hardly appreciate the
power there is in it. Every syllable having
soft vowel, it is, in music, like some of the
languages of Southern Europe.
"These little children you see sitting with
their Indian mothers around the markets
have their little stories, beautiful in poetic
treasures, and full of high imagination. In
the city they are silent, but around the camp
fire they babble their legends freely. Yes !
the men and old women still cling to their
traditions, but they have no worship now.
One feast only is left to them-the death feast
which they still keep up.
"Did you ever read 'Hiawatha, by Long
fellow? Well, believe that true Indian. He
doubtless took the idiom from Schoolcraft,
but the poetry is Indian. 1 have heard them
tell old legends similar in some respects to
it." Here he read in Choctaw the poem of a
vision of an Indian maiden in the woods,
and its liquidity astonished us.
Not desiring to intrude further, we babe him
good, by, .and withdrew, ourimaginaiion filled
with pictures of the past-of laughing In
dian girls, of children at play around the
camp fires, and lazy braves looking approx
ingly on. AS we left the gate of the Arch
bishops Palace Choctaw woman was pass
ing, her huge head. basket filed with the aro-
matte sassafras and bay. The sunlight played
amongst the bright green leaves of her bur-
den, and breath of fragrance foated after
her like the dim misty traditions of her race.