Baie-Comeau
(Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Earl Gilbert
I worked for Dominion Bridge at one point. A lot of ironworkers started there, like my uncle Albert. I was cleaning machines because it was a machine shop too, I remember being covered in grease, but a job’s a job. Forty hours a week and I would make $104, but it only cost me 30 cents to go back and forth on the bus. Back in those days, $104 was a lot of money.
In 1989, I was working in Baie-Comeau, still for Dominion Bridge. But now I'm not cleaning machines, I’m doing ironwork. There’s a small Innu community there, and one day we got rained out or something, so we were off work.
I said, “Let’s go to that reserve and see what it’s like.” We got there and it was the same thing as anywhere else, six guys in a car drinking, music on full blast, and of course there was welfare or social assistance, whatever you want to call it.
There was one guy who owned a bar in Baie-Comeau. Once a month he would go to the reserve and pick people up, whoever wanted to go into town. They would cash their checks and then they would drink for four days, get their groceries and come home. That’s the life you have when alcohol has a hold of you. I don’t miss that life.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Baie-Comeau
(Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Earl Gilbert ROKÁ:RATON
Énska tsi náhe' Dominion Bridge tewatió'tehkwe'. É:so rá:ti karista'kehró:non tho nón:we tahontáhsawen', tsi ní:ioht ne rakenonhà:'a Albert. Kenoharénions shos ne wahtentia'tha'shòn:'a ase'kén wahtentià:tha' tsi iontenhninòn:tha' ò:ni' tkénhne', kè:iahre' tia'takwé:kon awenienóskon kénhne', nek tsi kwah nè:'e karihwanóntha' wáhi ne kaio'ténhsera'. Kaié:ri niwáhsen nikahwistà:'eks tsahia'kserátshon tánon' 104 nikahwístake shos tenkatèn:tsha', nek tsi nek áhsen niwáhsen sén:ts enkatkarón:ni' neh naiá:wen' takaterahtánion' iakoia'takarenié'sne. Neh shitewenhniseraténion, é:so tsi kahwistowanèn:ne' ne 104 nikahwístake.
1989 shitiohserò:ten, Baie-Comeau tewatió'tehkwe', shé:kon Dominion Bridge kheio'ténhse'. Nek tsi nòn:wa iah teskenóhares ne wahtentia'tha'shòn:'a, karístatsi sewatió'te'. Ken' nihatitiohkwà:'a Othore'kehró:non eh thatì:teron, tánon' sewenhnísera thí:ken wa'onkwakén:nore' tóka' ni' nahò:ten'k eh ní:ioht, ó:nen ki' iah tetsonkwaió'te'.
Wa'kì:ron', "Hánio níha tsi kanonstá:ton iehétewe ietewátken's tsi nítioht." Eh ia'ákwawe' tánon' kwah sha'té:ioht tsi ní:ioht ne aktè:shon nón:we, ià:ia'k nihá:ti ronnón:kwe ka'seréhtakon thotihnekì:ren, tó:k niiokarè:ni tsi karén:note', tánon' orihwí:io se' kaién:tahkwe' ne kakoráhsera' kaia'takehnháhtshera', í:se' ki' wáhi enhsanónhton' nahò:ten' íhsehre' ahsenà:tonhkwe'.
Kí:ken shaià:ta tsi ionthnekahráhkhwa' roién:tahkwe' ne Baie-Comeau nonkwá:ti. Énska ne sewenhnì:ta tsi kanonstá:ton ièn:re' enhshakoia'títa' nón:kwe, thikawenní:io ónhka ionská:neks kaná:takon iá:ien'. Tenhatité:ni' raotirahsiék enhatihwistatáhko' sok kaié:ri niwenhniserá:ke enhatihnekì:ra', enhontenna'tsherakóha' sok tenthonhtén:ti'. Kwah tho ní:ioht tsi iakónhnhe' nó:nen onen'tákeri iakoniarí:ne'. Kwah iah testia'tí:saks ne tho ní:tsi akónhnheke'.
Edited by: Aaron McComber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde