The American Indians / Their History, Condition and Prospects, from Original Notes and Manuscripts

by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Let this mode of interrogation be continued, and extended to other adjectives, or the same adjectives applied to other objects, and results equally regular and numerous will be obtained. Minnis, we shall be told, is an island: miskominnis, a red island; mukkaddäminnis, a black island; waubeminnis, a white island, &c. Annokwut, is a cloud; miskwaunakwut, a red cloud; mukkuddawukwut, a black cloud; waubahnokwut, a white cloud; ozahwushkwahnokwut, a blue cloud, &c. Neebe is the specific term for water; but is not generally used in combination with the adjective. The word guma, like aubo, appears to be a generic term for water, or potable liquids. Hence the following terms:—

Gitshee,	Great.	Gitshiguma,	Great water.
Nokun,	Weak.	Nôkauguma,	Weak drink.
Mushkowau,	Strong.	Mushkowauguma,	Strong drink.
Weeshkobun,	Sweet.	Weeshkobauguma,	Sweet drink.
Sheewun,	Sour.	Sheewauguma,	Sour drink.
Weesugun,	Bitter.	Weesugauguma,	Bitter drink.
Minno,	Good.	Minwauguma,	Good drink.
Monaudud	Bad.	Mahnauguma,	Bad drink.
Miskwau,	Red.	Miskwauguma,	Red drink.
Ozahwau,	Yellow.	Ozahwauguma,	Yellow drink.
Weenun,	Dirty.	Weenauguma,	Dirty water.
Peenud,	Clear.	Peenauguma,	Clear Water.

From minno, and from monaudud, good and bad, are derived the following terms. Minnopogwud, it tastes well; minnopogoozzi, he tastes well. Mauzhepogwud, it tastes bad; mawzhepogoozzi, he tastes bad. Minnomaugwud, it smells good; minnomaugoozzi, he smells good; magghemaugawud, it smells bad; mawhemaugoozzi, he smells bad. The inflections gwud, and izzi, here employed, are clearly indicative, as in other combinations, of the words it and him.

Baimwa is sound. Baimwäwa, the passing sound. Minwäwa, a pleasant sound. Maunwawa, a disagreeable sound. Mudwayaushkau, the sound of waves dashing on the shore. Mudwayaunnemud, the sound of winds. Mudway au kooskau, the sound of falling trees. Mudwäkumigishin, the sound of a person falling upon the earth. Mudwaysin, the sound of any inanimate mass falling on the earth. These examples might be continued ad infinitum. Every modification of circumstances—almost every peculiarity of thought is expressed by some modification of the orthography. Enough has been given to prove that the adjective combines itself with the substantive, the verb and the pronoun—that the combinations thus produced are numerous, afford concentrated modes of conveying ideas, and oftentimes happy terms of expression. Numerous and prevalent as these forms are, they do not, however, preclude the use of adjectives in their simple forms. The use of the one, or of the other appears to be generally at the option of the speaker. In most cases brevity or euphony dictates the choice. Usage results from the application of these principles. There may be rules resting upon a broader basis, but if so, they do not appear to be very obvious. Perhaps the simple adjectives are oftenest employed before verbs and nouns, in the first and second persons singular.

Ningee minno neebau-nabun,	I have slept well.
Ningee minno weesin,	I have eaten a good meal.
Ningee minno pimmoossay,	I have walked well, or a good distance.
Kägät minno geeghigud,	It (is) a very pleasant day.
Kwunaudj ningödahs,	I have a handsome garment.
Ke minno iau nuh?	Are you well?
Auncende ain deyun?	What ails you?
Keezhamonedo aupädushshäwainenik,	God prosper you.
Aupädush Shäwaindaugoozzeyun,	Good luck attend you.
Aupädush nau kinwainzh pimmaudizziyun,	May you live long.
Onauneegoozzin,	Be (thou) cheerful.
Ne miuwaindum waubumaun,	I (am) glad to see you.
Kwanaudj Kweeweezains,	A pretty boy.
Kägät Söngeedää,	He (is) a brave man.
Kägät onishishsha,	She (is) handsome.
Gitshee kinözee,	He (is) very tall.
Uggausau bäwizzi,	She (is) slender.
Gitshee sussaigau,	He (is) fine dressed.
Bishegaindaugooziwug meegwunug,	They (are) beautiful feathers.
Ke daukoozzinuh?	Are you sick?
Monaudud maundun muskeekee,	This (is) bad medicine.
Monaudud aindauyun,	My place of dwelling (is) bad.
Aindauyaun mitshau,	My place of dwelling is large.
Ne mittigwaub onishishsha,	My bow (is) good.
Ne bikwukön monaududön,	But my arrows (are) bad.
Ne minwaindaun appaukoozzegun,	I love mild, or mixed, tobacco.
Kauweekau neezhikay ussämau ne sugguswaunausee,	But I never smoke pure tobacco.
Monaudud maishkowaugumig,	Strong drink (is) bad.
Keeguhgee baudjeëgonaun,	It makes us foolish.
Gitshee Monedo nebee ogee ozhetön,	The Great Spirit made water.
Inineewug dush ween ishkädäwaubo ogeo ozhetönahwaun.	But man made whiskey.

These expressions are put down promiscuously, embracing verbs and nouns as they presented themselves; and without any effort to support the opinion—which may, or may not be correct—that the elementary forms of the adjectives are most commonly required before verbs and nouns in the first and second persons. The English expression is thrown into Indian in the most natural manner, and of course, without always giving adjective for adjective, or noun for noun. Thus, God is rendered, not "Monedo," but, "Geezha Monedo," Merciful Spirit. Good luck, is rendered by the compound phrase "Shäwaindaugoozzeyun," indicating, in a very general sense the influence of kindness or benevolence on success in life. "Söngedää" is alone, a brave man; and the word "Kägät," prefixed, is an adverb. In the expression "mild tobacco," the adjective is entirely dispensed with in the Indian, the sense being sufficiently rendered by the compound noun "appaukoozzegun," which always means the Indian weed, or smoking mixture. "Ussamau," on the contrary, without the adjective, signifies, "pure tobacco." "Bikwakön," signifies blunt, or lumpy-headed arrows. Assowaun is the barbed arrow. Kwonaudj kweeweezains, means, not simply "pretty boy," but pretty little boy; and there is no mode of using the word boy but in this diminutive form—the word itself being a derivative, from kewewe, conjugal with the regular diminutive in ains. "Onaunegoozzin" embraces the pronoun, verb and adjective, be thou cheerful. In the last phrase of the examples, "man," is rendered men (inineewug) in the translation, as the term man cannot be employed in the general plural sense it conveys in this connection, in the original. The word "whiskey," is rendered by the compound phrase ishködawaubo, literally, fine-liquor, a generic for all kinds of ardent spirits.

These aberrations from the literal term, will convey some conceptions of the difference of the two idioms, although, from the limited nature and object of the examples, they will not indicate the full extent of this difference. In giving anything like the spirit of the original, much greater deviations, in the written forms, must appear. And in fact, not only the structure of the language, but the mode and order of thought of the Indians is so essentially different, that any attempts to preserve the English idiom—to give letter for letter, and word for word, must go far to render the translation pure nonsense.

2. Varied as the adjective is, in its changes it has no comparative inflection. A Chippewa cannot say that one substance is hotter or colder than another; or of two or more substances unequally heated, that this, or that is the hottest or coldest, without employing adverbs, or accessory adjectives. And it is accordingly by adverbs, and accessory adjectives, that the degrees of comparison are expressed.

Pimmaudizziwin, is a very general substantive expression, in indicating the tenor of being or life. Izzhewäbizziwin, is a term near akin to it, but more appropriately applied to the acts, conduct, manner, or personal deportment of life. Hence the expressions:

Nin bimmaudizziwin,	My tenor of life.
Ke bimmaudizziwin,	Thy tenor of life.
O Pimmaudizziwin,	His tenor of life, &c.
Nin dizekewäbizziwin,	My personal deportment.
Ke dizhewäbizziwin,	Thy personal deportment.
O Izzhewäbizziwin,	His personal deportment, &c.