Baptized
1918-1932. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Eva Johnson
My father never let me near nuns or priests because of things that happened in their family.
One day, one of my great-uncles came back from fishing and still had his fishing clothes on when he went to church. Whoever was in charge at the church at the time came up to him and said, “I’m sorry you can’t stay here the way you are dressed. You have to leave.”
When my grandmother found out what happened, they all left the church and put their energy towards the United Church because they felt it was more friendly.
When I was born, they had to figure out where I was going to be baptized.
My father said, “It’s a girl, it doesn’t matter. Just bring her to the catholics.” So, I got baptized there in the Catholic Church. I was the oldest child.
When my brother was born three years later my father said, “No, I want all the Johnson boys to be baptized in the United Church.” So, the split was already there between the churches.
Then my little sister Tracy was born. My father said to my mother, “You got a brand-new baby, you do whatever you want. If you want to get her baptized in the Catholic Church, you do that.” I was about 17 at the time and I saw Tracey’s godparents come to my mother and they had such long faces; they were so upset.
They tried to baptize Tracy at the Catholic Church and the priest said, “Sorry we can’t baptize her here. We baptized the first child, and you didn’t raise her catholic.”
So that was the end of that. My mother was so insulted, she only went back to the church during the big masses, but not every Sunday.
Nobody in the family really went back to the Catholic Church after that.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Ronwatinehkwa'éhston
Inside the Saint Francis-Xavier Mission Catholic Church in Kahnawà:ke. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Eva Johnson IAKOKÁ:RATON
Iah nonwén:ton tehothontá:ton rake'níha ratiia'tákta iotiia'tatokénhti tóka' ni' ratitsihénhstatsi akè:sheke' ase'kén tsi niiawénhseron raotihwatsí:rakon. Sewenhnísera ki' thí:, shaià:ta ne teiohsotsherá:ne rakenonhà:'a tontá:re' tsi rohriohkawinehsónhne' tánon' shé:kon rótston ne ionnitsatoratstáhkhwa' raotahkwénnia' shahaterennaiénhna'. Tsi niká:ien' ohén:ton í:rate' tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa' ne tho shikahá:wi tahóttate' tánon' wa'hèn:ron', "Sewakatathrewáhton iah ki' thaón:ton' kèn:tho ahsè:sheke' tsi ní:tsi sátston. Ó:nen'k ki tsi enhsahtén:ti'."
Sha'akotó:kenhse' akhsótha' tsi niiawèn:'en, akwé:kon wahonhtén:ti' nononhsatokenhtì:ke tánon' wahontià:taren' United tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa' ase'kén wahónttoke' tsi ní:ioht sénha rontenro'serí:io.
Sha'kenákerate', ó:nen'k tsi iahatíhewe' ka' nón:we enionkenehkwà:'ehste'.
Wahèn:ron' rake'níha, "Tsakothonwí:sen, iah ki' thé:nen teiontié:ren. Kwah nek teieiahsonthà:ke ia'etshiia'ténhawh." Tho káti' teieiahsonthà:ke kanónhskon wa'onkenehkwà:'ehste'. Í: tekkowá:nen. Shahrennákerate' ri'kèn:'a áhsen niiohserá:ke ohnà:ken wahèn:ron' rake'níha, "Iah, tewakatonhontsó:ni akwé:kon Johnson rotihsken'rakéhte' ahonwatinehkwà:'ehste' matatíshne nonkwá:ti." Sok nà:'a tehotirihó:ken tsi na'tehóntere' ne tsi ionterennaientahkhwaniónhkhwa'. Sok khe'kèn:'a Tracy wa'akennákerate'. Rake'níha wahshakohró:ri' ake'nisténha, "Owirasé'stsi sawí:raien', enwá:ton' tho nénhsiere' tsi nitéhsehre'. Tóka' íhsehre' ahshakotinehkwà:'ehste' ne teieiahsonthà:ke nonkwá: tho ki' nà:tser." 17 tóka' sha'tewakohseriià:kon ne tho shikahá:wi. Wa'khé:ken' néne Tracy shakotihsenná:wi isten'néha tá:ne' tánon' kwah rotikonwaré:son's, iah tehonerien'tí:ios.
Wahiate'nién:ten' ahshakotinehkwà:'ehste' ne Tracy teieiahsonthà:ke nonkwá:ti tánon' ratsihénhstatsi wahèn:ron', "Sewakatathrewáhton iah ki' thaón:ton' kèn:tho aiakhinehkwà:'ehste'. Iakhinehkwa'éhston néne tiekowá:nen tánon' iah teietshiiehià:ron taieiahsónthake'."
Kwah tho ne tsi na'á:wen'. Kwah taiakotié:ra'se' ake'nisténha, kwah nek ononhsatokenhtì:ke ionsá:ien' tsi nikarì:wes kahahserowá:nen's tioterihwahténtion nek tsi iah tiótkon Awentatokenhtì:ke.
Iah kwah ónhka kahwatsí:rakon teieiahsonthà:ke thietsakwé:non ohnà:ken thí:ken.
Edited by: Aaron McComber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Sahawisó:ko' Arquette