English
Etymology
Blend of the verb, smoke, and -um, a suffix used to mark transitive verbs in the trade pidgins used between English-speakers and American Indians. It is used derogatorily in English and is incorrectly added to any verb, transitive or not.
Verb
smokum
- dated|jocular|insulting to smoke
#*1896, F J Stimsom, King Noanett: A Story of Old Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay, p. 254:
#*:"Givum dinner; smokum pipe," was all that we could get out of Quatchett.
#*1968, Joan Baez, Daybreak, p. 17:
#*:We ran up to him and danced around him like Indians and then stopped and puffed on a big stick and handed it to him saying, "Smokum peace pipe."
#*2003, Stephen Brown, John F Sherry, eds. Time, Space and the Market: Retroscapes Rising, p. 127:
#*:Historyland... sought to present a historical image of Native Americans ... different from the "Ugh! We-smokum peace-pipe" images once presented at Knott's Berry Farms.
#*2004, Henry Bailey Stevens, Johnny Appleseed And Paul Bunyan: A Play of American Folklore in Three Acts with Prologue, p. 47:
#*:He say tree, "Be good Indian." He say Indian, "Be good tree." We swear by Great Spirit. We smokum pipe.
Category:English verbs
Usage notes
Part of the limited vocabulary used in the synthetic language apparently intended to illustrate language difficulties between Native Americans and the paleskinned invaders. This limited vocabulary is part of a stereotype that could justifiably be viewed as derogatorily portraying Native American, and particularly used in the context of smoking a peace pipe
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