Category: Tribal

This prayer is taken from a catechism written in 1658 by the Reverend Abraham Pierson. It is written in a pidginized form of Quiripi, using English rather than Algonkian word order and with no pronunciation guide. I have changed the 17th-century “italic f,” which represented an “s” sound, to an “s” throughout to avoid confusion (Pierson spelled “trespasses” as “trefpaffes,” so I think it’s safe to assume that “kèfuk” is meant to be “kèsuk.”) Otherwise I have printed the text exactly as Pierson did. Since even English spelling was not standardized at the time (Pierson spelled his own name indiscriminately as “Pierson” and “Peirson”), there are probably many potential inaccuracies in this text, but since we have so few documents in the Quinnipiac language, this one is valuable.

Quiripi translation:

Noûshin aûsequamuk terre

wérrettepantammunatch wòweztâuonatch kowésewunk

Peamoutch’ kúkkussootúmmowunk,

kòrantàmmowunk neratch

sket’ôkke nenar âusequamuk terre,

Mèsonah èa kèsuk kónkesekatush noméetsounk,

petúkkenêag akquantamínah nomàtchereúnganansh

nenar tàkquantaminan ewojek nomàtcherehéaqueàguk,

Asquonsàkkongonan rame-re mítchemôuretounk,

webe kûppoquohwhèriggamínah wutche madjk’

wutche kèkatah kètassootómoonk,

quah milkèssowunk quah àíttarwejanúnguesówunk

michème quah michème: Ne râtch.

English version:

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory,

For ever and ever. Amen.

Pasted from <http://www.native-languages.org/quiripi_prayer.htm