The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-22
From Natick to the Pump.

From Natick to the Pump.
In his introduction to the late JAMES
HAMMOND TRUMBULLs Natick Die
tionary," just published by the Bureau
of American Ethnology, DR.. EDWARD
EVERETT HALE says that in 1899 he
showed thirty words of the Massachu'
sets Indian language to Chippewa boy,
who recognized at once fifteen Of them,
giving to them their full meaning and
with little study he made out almost
all Of the remainder The Rev. j. A.
GILFfLLAN, a missionary among the
Northern tribes, found that his intelli-
gent Chippewa companions were greatly
interested in the Bible of ELIOT, and
readily caught the analogies of the Ian
glage with their own. when the system
of spelling and vocalization was ex-
planned to them So perishes or should
perish another popular belief, the no.
ton that JOHN ELIoT's Bible is now a
mere literary curiosity With a little
practice in phonetios, the native Indian
philologers may revive the Massachusetts,
language and other branches or dialects
Of Algonquin. 1t is great time for
blowing on the ashes Of obsolete tongues;
and there is certain pious satisfaction
in studying all memorials of the real
old American stock.
Massachusetts has scarcely done her
duty to the remnant OF the Indian tribes
whose soil she occupies. The Mashpees
&c Noshr> NM procaryo tboir tro,t h,,t not
their language; and the Gay Head In
dams of Martha's Vineyard, once famous
for its praying Indians, have no NOR
sci OF their ancient speech. Harvard
College, which has just one Indian name
on its list of graduates to show the fu-
tility of the efforts Of our wise and pious
ancestors to educate the tawnies," as
COTTON MATHER loved to call them
ought to have a professor or two Of
Indian.
Algonquin contributions to the English
language, many Of them words that
fall in sort of punch or swat of
sound, like squash, skunk" have
been noticed with respect in these COL
umns more than once. The Natick
seems to have been robust language,
with not infrequent suggestions Of
batrachian chant. For example: mo-
hewonck, mohchumoo; neepattunk-
quonk, neanussu kehkechesu, kehche-
mugqwomp. This last word is an ema-
nation of our famous old friend mug
wump," that is, mugquomp, mug
womp." a captain. Kehchemugqwomp
is chief captain, big mugwump, mug
wump of mugwumps For instance,
the Hon. ERv1NG W1NsLow is a mug
quomp; the Hon. MooRFIELD STOREY is
kehchemugqwomp; and the Hon. CARL
SCHURz is a mummugquomp, the aug
mented, reduplicated and quintessential
mugwump Accented on the last sylla-
BILE, mugwump has the humorous
croak of wise old bullfrog. Accented
on the first, it has the chug of a stone
injected into a pond by that de1terous
process called cutting an egg The
late JULIAN RALPH imported mug
wump from Connecticut in 1883. The
sun fell upon the neck Of that noble and
lovely word and in 1884 it jumped into
fame.
Papoose," corrupted from 1pape-
issesu," the intensive form of "peis-
sissu, very small, ." very young, we
have always with us, but we miss muk-
katchouks,' the Pequod and Narra-
gansett muckachux,' beautiful
word for boy =; = neutrality-suspicious.,
my son .; observation-disclosures,
"a little boy >; nunksquaemes, lit
tie girl >; papeississit, little thing,
tot why are these terms gone from the
glossary Of diminutives and endearments,
the caressing lingo of the nursery?
We could spend week in Natiok. At
least we will not 60 away without peep
into the looking glass. the pepenawu-
tchitchuhquok, or the pepenautchit-
chunkquonk. Only looking glass,
mind you; hand mirror. The word
for pier glass would have had a
length to ID, To show the resources Of
Indian, the Natick Dictionary quotes
from a manuscript of the Rev. EXPERT
ENCE MAYHEM Of Martha's Vineyard
the phrase for" our well-skilled looking
glass makers Nup-pahk-nuh-to-pe-
penau-wut -chut -chuh quo -ka-neh- cha
neh- cha-e-n in-nu-mun-no-nok.' A fas-
cinating phrase. We must have an Al