Associated with Zeisberger for many years was the genial Rev. John Heckewelder, so well known for his pleasant "History of the Indian Nations of Pennsylvania," his interpretations of the Indian names of the State, and his correspondence with Mr. Duponceau. He certainly had a fluent, practical knowledge of the Delaware, but it has repeatedly been shown that he lacked analytical power in it, and that many of his etymologies as well as some of his grammatical statements are erroneous.
Another competent Lenapist was the Rev. Johannes Roth. He was born in Prussia in 1726, and educated a Catholic. Joining the Moravians in 1748, he emigrated to America in 1756, and in 1759 took charge of the missionary station called Schechschiquanuk, on the west bank of the Susquehanna, opposite and a little below Shesequin, in Bradford county, Pennsylvania. There he remained until 1772, when, with his flock, fifty-three in number, he proceeded to the new Gnadenhütten, in Ohio. There a son was born to him, the first white child in the area of the present State of Ohio. In 1774 he returned to Pennsylvania, and after occupying various pastorates, he died at York, July 22d, 1791.
Roth has left us a most important work, and one hitherto entirely unknown to bibliographers. He made an especial study of the Unami dialect of the Lenape, and composed in it an extensive religious work, of which only the fifth part remains. It is now in the possession of the American Philosophical Society, and bears the title:—
Ein Versuch!
der Geschichte unsers Herrn u. Heylandes
Jesu Christi
in dass Delawarische übersetzt der Unami
von der Marter Woche an
bis zur
Himmelfahrt unsers Herrn
im
Yahr 1770 u. 72 zu Tschechschequanüng
an
der Susquehanna.
Wuntschi mesettschawi tipatta lammowewoagan sekauchsianup.
Wulapensuhalinen, Woehowaolan Nihillalijeng mPatamauwoss.
The next page begins, "Der fünfte Theil," and § 86, and proceeds to § 139. It forms a quarto volume, of title, 9 pages of contents in German and English, and 268 pages of text in Unami, written in a clear hand, with many corrections and interlineations.
This is the only work known to me as composed distinctively in the Unami, and its value is proportionately great as providing the means of studying this, the acknowledged most cultivated and admired of the Lenape dialects.
It will be the task of some future Lenape scholar to edit its text and analyze its grammatical forms. But I believe that Algonkin students will be glad to see at this time an extract from its pages.
I select § 96, which is the parable of the marriage feast of the king's son, as given in Matthew xxii, 1-14.
1. Woak Jesus wtabptonalawoll woak lapi nuwuntschi
And Jesus he-spoke-with-them and again he-began
Enendhackewoagannall nelih* woak wtellawoll.
parables them-to and he-said-to-them.
{wtellgigui}
2. Ne Wusakimawoagan Patamauwoss {mallaschi }
The his-kingdom God it-is-like
mejauchsid* Sakima, na Quisall mall'mtauwan Witachpungewiwuladtpoàgan.
certain king, his-son be-made-for-him marriage.
3. Woak wtellallocàlan wtallocacannall, wentschitsch nek
And he-sent-out his-servants the-bidding the
Elendpannik lih* Witachpungewiwuladtpoàgannung wentschimcussowoak;
those-bidden to marriage those-who-were-bidden,
tschuk necamawa schingipawak.
but they they-were-unwilling.
4. Woak lapi wtellallocàlan pih wtallocacannall woak
And again he-sent-out other servants and
{panni} {penna }
wtella {wolli} Mauwnoh nen Elendpanmk, {schita}
he-said-to-them those the-bidden
Nolachtuppoágan 'nkischachtuppui, nihillalachkik Wisuhengpannik
The-feast I-have-made-the-feast, they-are-killed they-fattened-them
auwessissak nemætschi nhillapannick woak weemi ktakocku 'ngischachtuppui,
beasts the-whole I-killed-them and all I-have-finished
peeltik lih Witachpungkewiwuladtpoàgannung.
come to marriage.
5. Tschuk necamawa mattelemawoawollnenni, woak ewak
But they they-esteemed-it-not and went
ika, mejauchsid enda wtakihàcannung, napilli
away certain thither to-his-plantation-place other
nihillatschi {M'hallamawachtowoagannung }
{ Nundauchsowoagannung }.
to-merchandise-place
6. Tschuk allende wtahunnawoawoll neca allocacannall
But some they-seized-them those servants
{ quochkikimawoawoll }
{popochpoalimawoawoll} woak wumhillawoawoll necamawa.
they-beat-them and they-killed-them they.
7. Elinenni na* Sakima pentanke, nannen lachxu,
When the king heard therefore he-was-angry,
woak wtellallokalan Ndopaluwinuwak, woak wumhillawunga
and he-sent-them warriors and he-slew
jok Nehhillowetschik, woak wulusumen Wtutèn'nejuwaowoll.
these murderers, and he-destroyed their-cities.
{woll }
8. Nannen wtella {panni} nelih wtallocacannall: Ne
Then he-said-to-them to his-servants The
Witachpungkewiwuladtpoagan khella nkischachtuppui, tschuk
marriage truly I-have-prepared-it but
{attacu uchtàpsiwunewo}
nek Elendpannick {wtopielgique juwunewo}.
the those-bidden are-not-to-sit-down-worthy.
9. Nowentschi allmussin ikali mengichungi Ansijall, woak
Therefore go-ye-away thither to-some-places roads and
winawammoh lih Witachpungkewiwuladtpoagan; na natta
ask-ye-them to marriage those
aween kiluwa mechkaweek (oh).
whom ye find.
10. Woak nek Allocacannak iwak ikali menggichüngi
And the servants they-went thither to-some-places
Aneijall, woak mawehawoawoll peschuwoawak na natta
roads and they-brought-them-together those
aween machkawoachtid, Memannungsitschik woak Wewulilossitschik,
whom they-found-them the-bad-ones and the good-ones
woak nel* Ehendachpuingkill weemi tæphikkawachtinewo.
and the at-the-tables all they-seated.
11. Nannen mattemikæùh na Sakima, nek Elendpannik mauwi
Then he-entered-in the king the those-bidden
pennawoawoll, woak wunewoawoll uchtenda mejauchsid Lenno,
he-saw-them and he-saw-him there certain man
na matta uchtellachquiwon witachpungkewi Schakhokquiwan.
the not wearing a marriage coat.
12. Woak wtellawoll neli,* Elanggomêllen, ktelgiquiki matte
And he-said-to-him to-him Friend like not
attemikēn jun (or tá elinàquo wentschi jun k'mattîmikeen,)
ashamed here not like therefore here thou-art-ashamed
woak {müngachsa*} mattacu witachpungkewi Schakhokquiwan
and { ilik* } not marriage coat
ktellachquiwon? Necama tschuk k'pettúneù.
thou wearest He but He-mouth-shuts.
13. Nannen w'tellawoll na Sakima nelih* Wtallocacannüng;
Then he-said-to-them the king to-them his-servants
{ nan }
Kachpiluh {woan} Wunachkall woak W'sittall, woak
Fasten-ye-him his-hands and his-feet and
lannéhewik quatschemung enda achwipegnunk, nitschlenda
throw-him where in pitch-darkness even-some
Lipackcuwoagan woak Tschætschak koalochinen.
weeping and teeth-gnashing.
14. Ntitechquoh macheli moetschi wentschimcussuwak, tschuk
Because many they-are-called but
tatthiluwak achnaeknuksitschik.
they-are-few the-chosen.
The asterisk occurs in the original apparently to indicate that a word is superfluous or doubtful. The interlined translation I have supplied from the materials in the mission-Delaware dialect, but my resources have not been sufficient to analyze each word; and this, indeed, is not necessary for my purpose, which is merely to present an example of the true Unami dialect.