LETTER XXVI.

FROM MR. HECKEWELDER.

BETHLEHEM, 10th October, 1816.

DEAR SIR.--I have hesitated whether I should answer your favour of the 1st inst., being very soon to set out for Philadelphia, where I shall be able to explain to you verbally everything that you wish to know in a much better manner than I can do in writing. As there are, however, but few questions in your letter, and those easily answered, I sit down to satisfy your enquiry, which will for the present close our correspondence. If you think proper to resume it after my return to this place, you will find me as ready as ever to continue our Indian disquisitions.

In the first place, it cannot, I think, properly be said that substantives in general in the Delaware language have a passive mood; but there are substantives which express a passive situation, like those which you have cited, after Mr. Zeisberger. I do not know of any words which express the same thing _actively_, except the infinitives of active verbs, which are in that case substantively used. Such are,

Shingalgundin, _to hate_; or _the hating_. Machelemuxundin, _to honour_; or _the honouring_. Mamachkimgundin, _to insult_ (by words); or _the insulting_.

The diminutive forms in the Indian are _tit_ and _es_; the former is generally applied to animate, and the latter to inanimate things. Thus we say _lennotit_, a little man; _amementit_, a little child; _wiquames_, a small house; and _amocholes_, a small canoe. This rule does not hold, however, in all cases; for the little fawn of a deer, although animate, is called _mamalis_, and a little dog among the Minsi is called _allumes_, (from _allum_, a dog.) _Chis_ or _ches_, is also a diminutive termination, which is sometimes applied to beasts; _achtochis_ and _achtoches_, “a small deer.”

Augmentatives are compounded from the word _chingue_, which signifies large; and sometimes the two words are separately used.

Chingue, _or_ m’chingue puschis, _a large cat_. Chingewileno (for _chingue lenno_), _a tall stout man_. Chingotæney (for _chingue otæney_), _a large town_. Chingi wiquam, _a large house_. Chingamochol, _a large canoe_. Chingachgook, _a large snake_, &c.

There are a few augmentatives formed in a different manner; for instance, from _pachkshican_ or _kshican_, “a knife,” are formed _pachkschicanes_, “a small knife,” and _m’chonschicanes_,[311] “a large knife;” still it is easy to see that _m’chon_, in the latter word, is derived from _chingue_, large or great, which, with a little variation, brings it within the same rule with the others.

You have, no doubt, observed in Zeisberger the terminations _ink_ and _unk_, which express the idea of locality, coupled with a substantive, as for instance:

Utenink, _or_ otænink, _from_ otæney, _a town_; _in the town_. Utenink n’da, _I am going to town_, or _into the town_. Utenink noom, _I am coming from within the town_. Sipunk, (_from_ sipo) _to_ or _into the river_. M’bink, (_from_ m’bi) _in the water_. Hakink, (_from_ hacki) _in_ or _on the earth_. Awossagamewunk, (_from_ awossageme), _in heaven_. Wachtschunk n’da, _I am going up the hill_. Wachtschunk noom, _I come from the hill_. Hitgunk, _on_ or _to the tree_. Ochunk, _at his father’s_.

As you must have observed that many of our Indian names of places end with one or other of these terminations, such as _Minisink_, _Moyamensing_, _Passyunk_, &c., you will understand that all these names are in what we might call the _local_ case, which accounts for the great number of those which end in this manner.

I beg you will not write to me any more for the present, as I do not know how soon I may have the pleasure of seeing you. I anticipate great satisfaction from your acquaintance, and hope it will be improved into a true _Indian_ friendship.

I am, &c.

J. HECKEWELDER.

ERRATA IN PART II.

PAGE 352, LINE 11--For “_Zeisberger_” read “_Heckewelder_.”

359, 24--(of letter vi.) For “_from_” read “_for_.”

362, 15--For “_schawanáki_” read “_schwanameki_.” 16--For “_chwani_” read “_chwami_.”

383, 1--(from the bottom) For “_k’lehelleya_” read “_k’lehellecheya_.”

386, 21--For “_wulatopnachgat_” read “_wulaptonachgat_.” 23--For “_wulatonamin_” read “_wulatenamin_.”

392, 27--(of letter xvii.) For “_manner_” read “_matter_.”

397, 6 and 7--For “_achpansi_” read “_achpanschi_.”

401, 26--For “_Indian corn_” read “_a particular species of Indian corn_.”

404, 8--For “_ktahoatell_” read “_ktahoalell_.” 18--For “_gunich_” read “_gunih_.”

410, 12--For “_eliwulek_” read “_eluwilek_.” 13--For “_allowilen_” read “_allowilek_.” For the English translation, of these two words, substitute “_the most extraordinary, the most wonderful_.” 14--For “_eluwantowit_” read “_eluwannitowit_.” 16--For “_elewassit_” read “_elewussit_.” 18--For “_the supremely good_” read “_the most holy one_.”

424, 6 and 7--For “_schingieschin_” read “_schingiechin_.”

429, 9--For “_mamschalgussiwagan_” read “_mamschalgussowagan_.” 11--For “_mamintochimgussowagan_” read “_mamintschimgussowagan_.”

431, 4--(from the bottom) For “_m’chonschicanes_” read “_m’chonschican_.”

ADDITIONAL ERRATUM IN PART I.

PAGE 323, LINE 34--For “_Indians_” read “_traders_.”