STORIES / Okara’shòn:’a
I don’t get the choice
There we were with our camera, and we had Marine Corps behind us with M16s ready to shoot, and we got the KGB across with AK47s, ready to shoot.
Taking back control
The people in town said that enough is enough. We are going to take over our education.
Prior to that, we had no one teaching us our culture, our language. It was all through Ottawa, they decided what we would learn. We used to have an Indian Agent in Kahnawà:ke who more or less ran the show.
Another century
I get down there and I saw the bathroom doors. I looked and there’s my cousin Mavis. I recognized her shoes. I was so happy to see someone I knew so I spoke to her. I don’t even remember what I was saying to but as soon as I turned around WHOM!
American quarters
I learned the Indian songs from the other kids. I could only get so far, and the other kids would finish it off because they knew the whole song. We all sang together and then the tourists would throw their nickels and dimes.
Not washed up yet
I was knocked out for a while, but my boss had an old Polaroid camera, and he took a hell of a lot of pictures when I was in the hole. To my right there was rebar sticking out. If I hit that, I'd be a dead man.
Echoes of Hooks Point
As kids, we used to play from sunrise to sundown, and sometimes we camped in our own yards. We’d go to the river in the summer to go swimming and fishing, and during the winter, we used to skate on the pond and play hockey.
Snaring rabbits
Every morning before school we would go out to the village and check the snares to see if we caught any from the night before. We had to go early in the morning because the rabbits are busy at night and we had to make sure that no dogs would get to it.
Hot spot
My son lit a candle and when I put my hand over the flame, this black soot shot up. I felt it leave my hand and my hand was covered in soot. The young man left and said, “Thank you very much.” He was going to go back to work on Monday morning.My son lit a candle and when I put my hand over the flame, this black soot shot up. I felt it leave my hand and my hand was covered in soot. The young man left and said, “Thank you very much.” He was going to go back to work on Monday morning.
The Waltz of Wind
So that night I sang to her, I sang “The Waltz of the Wind” by Hank Williams, and if you listen to it, it’s about meeting a girl and all that, and she’s gonna be yours forever.We even went to Belmont Park and Lionel recorded it.
That's my home
I told them, “Shoot. You got my whole back as a target. If you can’t hit me, then there’s something wrong and you shouldn’t be a cop.” I walked right through. I left my car out there because you couldn't get gas anyways. In town, gas was only for ambulance, fire trucks, things like that.
Coffee break
I had to go to school across the river because we didn’t have a high school in Kahnawà:ke. I went to Bishop Whelan High School in Lachine. There were a bunch of us, and I was the only one that spoke Mohawk, so I had no one to speak with. I didn’t use it daily, but the language was still in me.
The wells
The council would come, from time to time, to do tests to see if there was bacteria. They said the well water itself was good, but that it wasn’t drinkable because of the mineral built up and rust inside the well. The pumps at the surface were eventually disconnected from the cylinders, but not all of them were.
Marriage in Eagle Bay
I remember the crowd—so many came to celebrate with us. Ruth and the women lovingly sewed our wedding clothes by hand, each stitch a testament to care and tradition. Friends and family traveled from Kahnawà:ke to Eagle Bay, bringing joy and laughter.
Needing some excitement
The older veterans did what they could, and the younger veterans passed on what they knew about survival, fighting, and a little bit of medical stuff. I tried to instill discipline because most of the land defenders only had a handful of ammunition and hunting rifles.
Marathon Mom
She started going to Mohawk Miles, and she would help with fundraising. She would always go to the exercise classes at the Youth Center, and everyone was amazed saying “Oh man, she’s that old and here we are complaining.” She's an inspiration to many of our women in the fitness community.
Runway model
This was all free; all these people, these hairdressers, everything! We had all the clothing supplied for us, and we even got all of that for free. I had La Tisseur, a very exclusive store, they dressed all the men and women. I had Zellers, and I had Woolworths in Lachine at one time; so many came to help us.
Darts and Darks
Lionel:
I started wearing black, so I don’t have to worry about what to choose; if everything’s black, I can grab anything in there. Then what I’ll do is buy three pairs of pants, the same black pants, right away so I don't have to worry about it. I got into that style, and I stayed with it.
A way of remembering
I remember dancing on the rocks, grass, and at the end of the weekend, all our feet and our calves were so sore.
Crossing the St. Lawrence by canoe
I remember it was on a bright summer day so long ago and that this wasn't my idea, so of course I said yes. We prepped for an overnight stay, borrowed my brother Stephen's canoe, and pushed off from just about where Billy Two-River's laundromat used to be.
Fire Brigade on parade
The day of the parade, we had all the kids get dressed in regalia to stand on the trailer with the heart. The moose heart is meant to take care of children who don’t have anybody, like orphaned children.