Sarcasm in Ichishkíin
Humor in Ichishkíin
PRACTICAL IDEAS AND RESOURCES
Resources in this section curated by: Johanna Lyon, Cathy Lee, Tung Tuaynak, Jermayne Tuckta, and Ken Ezaki Ronquillo
Looking Back at the 2017 Mother Language Meme Challenge | Blog Post
At the International Mother Language Day, there was an internet challenge to create memes in the mother languages of people from across the globe. The importance of the project was the participation of endangered, minority, heritage languages. It is important for our project, because it demonstrates how humor is different across a multitude of languages. This can be used to show the other memes that were created in the different languages, and students can create their own for a class assignment.
DON’T DO THAT!! | Meme
Translation by Jermayne Tuckta:
Now I will wash all of the deer meat
DON’T DO THAT!!
Joke: In hunting any wild game, in order to preserve all the natural flavors of the meat, one does not wash the meat after butchering it, as the flavors will be lost, and it will have no unique taste.
Bologna Animal | Meme
“My mother taught “our people always hunt for our meat”
Now I wonder “where does the bologna animal live? Maybe my dad knows”’
The Joke: Indigenous peoples were placed onto Reservations where their hunting rights were affected by personal land owners of the traditional hunting grounds. The economy isn’t great, so Bologna is within affordances to big families with multiple generation households, versus going out to hunt for deer/elk/bear/buffalo meat. Since dad always brings bologna home, he must know where the Bologna animal lives, since he hunts it.
Told by a Fluent Speaker of the Umatilla Dialect | Joke
Awkú míimi, ínaš wínana wíyat kwníin tičámpa waníči Florida, ašku naš áyikšanaaš iwá náxš táwn, iwaníša Umatilla,Florida. Ín ku nàpt xátwayma čnamáankni, pínča pa wínana kwná kwáy táwnpa. Awkú na tk'xšana šapášukwat ana mayní iwá či táwn waníči Umatilla? Aškunaš pxwíin, páyš na á'šapnita šíman čúutpamapa, kúma pa šúkwataxna. Awkú mítawma na ášankika kwáana ćuutpamá. Awkú mún na čáxalpiya pćíš wí'aštaš kway čuutpamápa, awkú naxš čmáakli awínš i'wáa'anamš "Níix Páčway".. Á'na, míšatya, mayní čí čmáakli išukša namí sínwitna? Awkú mayk kítu ipátukaya mítat čúut namíyaw, páyu q'wałáni,.. awkú naš ášapniya kway ćmáakli awínš, mayní nam áw šúkwaśa íćiškiin? Ku i'áwunaaš "Íntanat"..... Internet.. Kwáyšwa inmí masawít tamnanáxt
Translation by Jermayne Tuckta:
And so awhile ago, i went way over to that land called Florida. So I was hearing there was one town, it is called Umatilla Florida. I and two friends went from here, and again we went to there that town. And so we wanted to know what it was like, this town called Umatilla. And so I thought, maybe we ask someone about a bar, they should know. Then above we soon asked about there being a bar.. Then when we opened the door there was the bar. And then one African American man he said to me “Good Afternoon”.. Holy, WTF, how this African American man knows our language? And so very fast he did three drinks with us, very happy… and so I asked that African American man, how do you know Ichishkin? And he replied “Internet”... That is my funny story.
Joke: Anything can be learned on the Internet
Told by a fluent speaker in Warm Springs dialect | Joke
Aswan: Kała, tai ttush nami tananma pawalptaikxa xwiyachpa?
Kała: Achaku iwa shukwat miimikni
Aswan: Nami antanama pawalptaikxana xwiyachpa?
Kała: Chau pawalptaikxana xwiyachpa, anałkw’i pawa laxs shukwinch isapsikw’ana walptaiktash xwiyachpa
Aswan: Ahhhna, kush shin iwanishana?
Kała: Iwanishana Shapq'itpama, payu pashwini iwa kush isapsikw'ana tł'aawxmaman namiki
Translation by Jermayne Tuckta:
Boy: Grandma, why do some of our people sing in the sweathouse?
Grandma: Because it's a lesson from long ago
Boy: Our ancestors, they used to sing all the time in the sweathouse?
Grandma: No they didn't always sing in the sweathouse, some day there was one very wise person, he taught how to sing in the sweathouse.
Boy: Ohh, and what was he called?
Kala: His name was TV, very wise he was and he taught everyone about us.
Joke: After moving on to the reservations, the actions of the Indigenous communities were always being watched by the government, and they taught how to live on the reservation, and made their way into other activities, such as the sweathouse, which isn't a spiritual activity for tribes of the Columbia Plateau, like it is for other tribes (such as the tribes from the Plains), where all Indigenous cultures are seen as the same in Hollywood, hence, Indigenous people learning how to be Indigenous from TV.
Told by an Elder in the Warm Springs Dialect | Joke
Laxs anwicht, itaxanana payu k’st tł’aawx tichampa. Kush nami tananma pashapniya Miyuuxna “Mish iwata payu k’ps anm chi anwicht?” Kush pa’na miyuuxna; “chau ash shukwasha, paish ash wina shapnit nami antananma, inash tuxta c’aatpa!” Kush iwinashaiksh. Kush ituxn kaatnamyau kush pa’na; “ii itaxanta payu k’ps anmpa, au na pauwiyakuta xlakt ilkwsh!” Mtaatłk’wipa, anch’a pashapnishiaksh miyuuxna; “iwa k’st anch’axi chikuuk, mish iwata shaax chi anmpa?” kush pa’na miyuuxna; “chau ash shukwasha, paish ash wina shapnit nami antananma, inash tuxta c’aatpa!”kush iwinashaiksh. Auku ituxn kaatnamyau kush pa’na; “ii itaxanta payu k’ps anmpa, au na pauwiyakuta xlakt ilkwsh!” Pinaptłkw’ipa, tł’aawxshin anch’a pashapniya miyuuxna; “Chikuuk iwa k’psxau, mish iwata shaax chi anmpa?” kush anch’a pa’na; “Chau ash shukwasha, paish ash wina shapnit nami antananma, inash tuxta c’aatpa!” kush iwinashaiksh. Kush iwina k’staasyau, iyanawi maik ksks taunpa, kush ishapniya laxs taimuła “mish iwata shaax chi anmpa?” kush pa’na taimuła; “ii inash pxwi payu shaax iwata chi anmpa!” kush miyuux ishapniya; “Mishliki nam shukwa itaxanata shaax chi anmpa?” kush pa’na taimuła: “Achaku tł’aawx natitite paskauwisha xlakt ilkwsh, IWATA PAYU SHAAX CHI ANMPA!”
Translated by Jermayne Tuckta:
One year, it became very cold all over the land. And our people, they asked the chief "Is it going to be a really cold winter this year?" and he told them, the chief; "I don't know, maybe i go and ask our ancestor spirits, i will return soon!" And so he left. Then he returned to the longhouse and he told them; "yes, it will become very cold in winter, now lets gather plenty of wood!" Three days passed, and again they asked the chief; : "Again, it is very cold today, is it going to be bad this winter?" and so he told them, the chief; "I don't know, maybe i go and ask our ancestor spirits, i will return soon!" and so he went. And then he returned to the longhouse and he told them; "yes i will become very cold in winter, now lets gather plenty of wood!" Four days pass, everyone again asked the chief; "Today is the coldest, is it going to be bad this winter?" and again he told them; "I don't know, maybe i go to ask our ancestor spirits, i will return soon!" And so he went. And then he went towards the north, he arrived to a small little town, and he asked one news reporter; "Is it going to be bad this winter?" and he told him, the news reporter; " yes i think it's going to be bad this winter!" and so the chief he asked; "how do you know it will become bad this winter?" and so he told him, the news reporter; "because all the Indians are gathering plenty of wood. SO IT WILL BE VERY BAD THIS WINTER!"
Joke: The chief is trying to save face as a person who still carries "old tricks," but rather than asking the spirits, he asks the news reporter in the small town to the north. However, the news reporter doesn't know and is judging the year based off the Indigenous peoples gathering of wood, which the "spirits" are telling them that it'll be a bad winter
ACADEMIC RESOURCES ON HUMOR IN Ichishkíin
Resources in this section curated by: Johanna Lyon, Cathy Lee, Tung Tuaynak, Jermayne Tuckta, and Ken Ezaki Ronquillo
Fairbanks, B (2016). Ojibwe Discourse Markers. Lincoln, Nebraska. London England. University of Nebraska Press.
In this article, Brendand Fairbanks spends much time studying the Ojibwe language, and how some markers are used for specific purposes. Overall, words exist in Ojibwe to draw the listeners attention to something specific, for example; inashke literally translates into “look,” however in Ojibwe, it doesn’t not mean to literally look at something, but more to draw your attention to something specific, i.e. Nashke Bizindan, which translates into “Look Listen,” meaning; pay attention to my command of “LISTEN.” Throughout his studies, as he dives into stories with fluent speakers, this term transpires again to provide examples (paying close attention to the example, as it is the main key concept of the story), and it also is used as a tool to reflect the speaker's actions in some cases. Another marker is used in the same way which is Mii, where there is no exact direct English translation. The examples used with this marker tends to point out a transition or explanation (i.g. and so, that’s why, and now). This allows a transition from the example back into the main topic at hand.
In Indigenous cases, such as mine in Ichishkiin, these markers often come up in conversation humor amongst the community which are perlocutionary markers for the listener to comprehend the joke.
Moore, David. (2014). That Dream Shall Have a Name: Native Americans Rewriting America. The Last Laugh: Humour and Humanity in Native American Pluralism. 300-364.
Moore describes humor as human grounded, where Indigenous humor is grounded in a “more-than-human world. Within the Indigenous humor context, Indigenous members generally have two different humor concepts; one which is described as an inner group tease in which a member within an Indigenous group can leave their comfort zone of their identity and ego to identify with the group that is “teasing.” The outer teasing refers to others that don’t identify with Indigenous peoples that have the ability to identify the reality of Indigenous history and historical humility (i.g. can they become comfortable with the idea of Europeans genocide on the Indigenous population, which has been accepted by most Indigenous communities). In this article, Moore introduces four Indigenous scholars that directs Indigenous humor in different ways to the Indigenous communities (where they shed their own identity to fit in with Indigenous communities throughout the North American Continent); Apess has a focus on ironies of American Christian hypocrisy against Indigenous peoples, Vine Deloria Jr focuses American legal history against Indigenous sovereignty, and Vizenor that focuses on language used in American Ideology against Indigenous realities. The fourth is a writer; Sherman Alexi, who directs his humor back towards sovereignty, meaning; you can only be “Indian” today by sovereign rights granted by the government. Through Indigenous languages, the natural humor has changed from jokes that may have been seen as “innocent” in earlier times, but due to the socio-political factors at play within the Indigenous communities, much of politics, identity, and sarcasm has become part of humor within the Indigenous languages.
Moore, David. (2014). That Dream Shall Have a Name: Native Americans Rewriting America. The Last Laugh: Humour and Humanity in Native American Pluralism. 300-364.
Moore describes humor as human grounded, where Indigenous humor is grounded in a “more-than-human world. Within the Indigenous humor context, Indigenous members generally have two different humor concepts; one which is described as an inner group tease in which a member within an Indigenous group can leave their comfort zone of their identity and ego to identify with the group that is “teasing.” The outer teasing refers to others that don’t identify with Indigenous peoples that have the ability to identify the reality of Indigenous history and historical humility (i.g. can they become comfortable with the idea of Europeans genocide on the Indigenous population, which has been accepted by most Indigenous communities). In this article, Moore introduces four Indigenous scholars that directs Indigenous humor in different ways to the Indigenous communities (where they shed their own identity to fit in with Indigenous communities throughout the North American Continent); Apess has a focus on ironies of American Christian hypocrisy against Indigenous peoples, Vine Deloria Jr focuses American legal history against Indigenous sovereignty, and Vizenor that focuses on language used in American Ideology against Indigenous realities. The fourth is a writer; Sherman Alexi, who directs his humor back towards sovereignty, meaning; you can only be “Indian” today by sovereign rights granted by the government. Through Indigenous languages, the natural humor has changed from jokes that may have been seen as “innocent” in earlier times, but due to the socio-political factors at play within the Indigenous communities, much of politics, identity, and sarcasm has become part of humor within the Indigenous languages.
Sinkeviciute, V., & Dynel, M. (2017). Approaching conversational humour culturally: A survey of the emerging area of investigation. Language and Communication, 55, 1-9.
Humor that transpires through technology and social media stems from humor theories based from classic philosophy and uses the same mechanisms and characteristics throughout different cultures and languages. Jokes can be broken down into two different forms, one being a “canned joke” which includes memes, comic strips, or any other joke that has no interaction between the speaker and listener. Conversation humors stem from the verbal behaviors in an interaction between two or more people. Teasing a friend is seen as bonding in a friendly manner and sometimes seen as a solidarity-building function. From this comes Disaffiliative humor which consists of targeting someone specific within an interaction that includes sarcasm for the purpose of the speaker reaping the humorous rewards within the interaction. One other form of conversation humor is banter, which is also referred to as” joint fantasizing” which is an offensive way of being friendly, as the speaker and listener find common ground in terms of language usage. On an intracultural level, conversational humor, in most cases, transpires amongst families, peers, and close communities. Some exceptions include Australia and New Zealand, where conversation humor is used to create a bond between strangers.
In the Americas, teasing amongst strangers calls for a “stronger need for identity display,” meaning; peers and family tend to get an understanding of where one might be standing within their own identity and or where they stand on some opinions.
