instance: suppose I say to an Innuit, 'Ki-ete wong-a' (Come here to me). If he should not be prepared just at the moment, he would say 'Wich-ou' (Wait a while, or I'll come in a short time). In the other signification it refers to time past. For instance: suppose I should ask an Innuit when his people were very numerous here North, he might answer 'Wich-ou' (that is, a long time ago). In this latter sense Petato uses this word.
"Petato proceeded: 'Kod-lu-nas ki-ete in-e-tete nu-na make it am-a-su-it' (White people came and landed on the island, and put things on it in large quantities). The old lady has been much around the ships, and occasionally uses an English word when conversing with those who talk that language. It will be seen that she used to good effect the two words 'make it' in her last sentence.
"She continued: 'Wich-ou kod-lu-nas in-e-tete make it Kod-lu-narn' (After a while white men sat down—made a house or houses on Kodlunarn). She described this house by placing one stone upon another, indicating by some snow placed between that some substance of white colour was between the layers of stone.
"Petato was then asked the question, 'Kis-su kod-lu-nas in-e-tete man-er?' (What is now on the island that kodlunas left there?) She answered that a great many little pieces, red (oug[1]), were on the island, such as Innuits use to clean and brighten their kar-oongs (brass ornaments for the head).
"When Petato was asked 'who told her all about kodlunas coming here, and the many ships that come in this bay,' she answered, 'My mother's grandmother's grandfather knew a good deal about it.' The inference is that Petato's mother told her about it, the grandmother of Petato's mother told her, and the grandfather of Petato's mother's grandmother told said grandmother of it.
"Thus Petato's knowledge is direct from the sixth generation of her family; or, rather, the information I gained was
- ↑ Oug really means blood, but the Innuits use this word to signify any thing red when talking with a stranger not well versed in their language.
