Bees are my medicine
Tealey carefully extracting the honeycombs from the bees. (Courtesy: Tealey Ka'senni:saks Normandin)
Story told by Tealey Ka'senni:saks Normandin
Beekeeping came to me about eight years ago. I was in a really tough place emotionally and mentally, so I decided to take three months off work. I went to a lodge in the Munsee Delaware Nation for three weeks, with 18 other women. The lodge was filled with not just Mohawks, but women from all different nations. We would partake in sweat lodges, ceremony, drumming, and singing.
The day before I was supposed to partake in a sweat lodge, a group of us women were sitting outside beading. As we were sitting at the table, a bee came by and sat on my hand. A bunch of the women panicked trying to swat off the bee. I remember telling them that we needed to be gentle with her, the bee didn’t want to hurt us. I gently pushed her off my hand, and away she went.
The day of the sweat lodge, the woman who organized it told us that before we go in, she wanted us to think of a question. As I was sitting in the heat and darkness of the lodge, the question came to me: What is love?
I began to have this vision of my grandfather; it was like a movie was playing out in front of me. My grandfather had pointed to this tree, and in it was this beehive hanging full of wax. In this vision he told me, “The bees are your medicine, the honey is your medicine.” It was so real that when I came out of the sweat lodge, I had asked the other women if they saw what I was seeing.
Anyways, I let it be for about six months, but then I started seeing bees everywhere. I saw them on posters, cereal boxes, commercials. Just bees, bees, bees everywhere. So, I called up a friend in Dartmouth and asked what he knew about bees. I told him how they were calling me and that I really needed to know about them. By the following Monday, I had bought two hives.
I knew barely anything about these beehives. My friends Charlie and Eileen Patton cleared a path and let me keep my new hives in their yard, and that’s where my beekeeping really started.
Charlie would teach me about the bees, and I attended a biodynamic beekeeping course in Digby, Nova Scotia, but to really learn about beekeeping, you need to listen to the bees themselves.
Bees know what they’re doing, they have not forgotten their original instructions. They know what their role is, they help each other communicate, they even dance. So, just sitting and watching the bees has helped me learn so much about them.
I used to go right up to the hive, take my mesh hood off, and I would just start singing to them, and I would hear them buzzing back. I would tell the bees that I wasn’t there to hurt them. I would ask what they needed from me.
The bees have really done a lot for my spirit. I’ve learnt that they are not here to hurt us, and if we’re scared of them, they can feel it. The bees taught me that if you’re living in fear, you’re wasting a lot of your time and energy not enjoying the beauty around you.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Akenónhkwa' nen' nè:'e ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne'
A welcome pamphlet from the kiikeewanniikaan healing lodge given to Tealey during her visit. (Courtesy: Tealey Ka'senni:saks Normandin)
Tealey Ka'senni:saks Normandin IAKOKÁ:RATON
Ákta sha'té:kon niiohserá:ke tsi náhe' onkwateríhe'se' tsi otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' kenáskwaiens. Kwah tokèn:'en ionó:ronskwe' nakwé:ri tánon' nake'nikòn:ra', thò:ne ki' ia'tewakerihwaién:ta'se' áhsen niwenhnì:take akatonríshen' tsi watió'te'. Skanónhsa ne Munsee Delaware Kanakeráhsera' nón:we tkanónhsote' iahà:ke', eh kontiia'tarátie' 18 nikón:ti konnón:kwe. Iah nek Kanien'kehá:ka tha'tetkontíhere' eh nón:we, ki' tánon' konnón:kwe néne aktè:shon nitionenónhseron. Eniakwatshá:tenhte' shos, teniakwatenonhwerá:ton', eniakwa'nahkwà:'eke', tánon' eniakwaterennó:ten'.
Sewenhnísera ohén:ton tsi na'teiotonhontsóhon akatià:taren' tsi iakwatshatenhtà:ne', skanèn:ra konnón:kwe átste kontinenhráhere' tekontitsi'nehtará:rons. Tsi nikarì:wes atekhwahra'tsherákta iakwéntskote', skaià:ta otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' tá:we' tánon' kahtsa'nà:ke onnitskó:ten'. Iawe'towá:nen konnón:kwe wa'tkon'nikonhrhá:ren' konte'niéntha' akonwatè:kwahte' ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne'. Kè:iahre' wa'khehró:ri' tsi teiotonhontsóhon takonwahrhò:ton', kwah iah té:wehre' aionkwakaré:wahte' ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne'. Skennenhstsíhon iahà:khreke' tsi wa'keratá:ko' kahtsa'nà:ke, sok é:ren sá:wehte'.
Shikontitshatenhtà:ne', tsi niká:ien' iakón:kwe iakoterihwahserón:ni ionkhihró:ri tsi í:ienhre' aiakwanonhtonnión:ko' nahò:ten' ne taiakwarihwa'será:ko'. Eh shikítskote' tsi niiononhsataríhen tánon' tsi na'tetiononhsà:karahs kanónhskon, tonkwaterihónnien': Nahò:ten' ne kanoronhkwáhtshera'?
Thò:ne tontáhsawen' onkwatétshen' rakhsótha' tahaià:tara'ne'; kwah tsi ní:ioht ne teióia'ks í:we' akhén:ton. Rakhsótha' iahahtsá:ton' tsi iokwí:rote', eh okwí:rakon otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' ionattsi'nahkón:ni kwah tetkatsikhe'táhere'. Wahakhró:ri' ne kèn:tho atetshenhserá:kon, "Sanónhkwa' nen' nè:'e ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne', sanónhkwa' nen' nè:'e ne otsikhè:ta'." Tho niió:re tsi otokèn:'en onkwá:ton'se' tsi ó:nen shionsatiá:ken'ne' tsi ietshatenhtáhkhwa', wa'kherihwanón:ton'se' noià:shon konnón:kwe tóka' ionatkáhthon tsi nahò:ten' wakatkahthòn:ne'.
Tiótkon ki', iah tesewakatsteríston ià:ia'k niwenhnì:take niió:re, thò:ne ki' tsik nón:we wa'khé:ken' ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne'. Tsi tiohiatonhseranentákhon, ohrhon'kè:ne í:ienks o'nerohkwa'kéhshon, tehatirenhsarónsne nón:we wa'khé:ken'. Aóskon otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' tsik nón:we. Sok ontiatén:ro iahiiatewennátahse' ne Dartmouth nonkwá:ti tánon' wahirihwanón:tonhse' tóka' othé:nen rarihwaienté:ri ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' aotirihwà:ke. Wahihró:ri' tsi tionkì:nonks tánon' kwah tokèn:'en tewakatonhontsó:ni akherihwaientéhrha'ne'. Shionsahentén:ta'ne', tekatsi'náhkwake wakhní:non.
Kwah tsi ní:ioht ne iah othé:nen tekerihwaienteríhne' ne kí:ken otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' aotitsi'nahkon'shòn:'a. Onkwatén:ro Charlie tánon' Eileen Patton wahiathahón:ni' raonaten'èn:rakon nakerihwà:ke naontién:take' aktsi'nahkwasé'stsi's, tánon' tho nón:we orihwiiohón:we tontáhsawen' tsi otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' kenáskwaiens.
Wahakerihónnien' Charlie tsi niiotirihò:ten ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne', tánon' wakaterihwaiensta'nónhne' oh ní:ioht tsi ionaskwa'karí:te' akenaskwaiénsheke' ne Digby, Nova Scotia nonkwá:ti, nek tsi ne orihwiiohón:we ahseweientéhta'ne' oh ní:ioht tsi ahsenáskwaien' otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne', teiotonhontsóhon í:se' ahsheiatahónhsatate' ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne'.
Ionaterièn:tare' wáhi tsi nikontiéhrha' ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne', kwah iah tetsoti'nikonhrhèn:'en tsi nahò:ten' otokèn:'en ionateríhonte'. Ionaterièn:tare' tsi niiotirihò:ten, tekontatienawà:se' tsi tekontihtháhrha', kwah se' ò:ni' tekontinonniáhkhwa'. É:so tsi ontia'takéhnha' tsi wa'kherihwaientéhrha'ne' tsi nek tha'kátien' tánon' wa'kheiaterò:roke'.
Iotkà:te' shos kheh aotitsi'nahkwákta ia'ténkta'ne', enskateniarotá:ko', tánon' enkheiaterennóthahse', tánon' enwakathón:te'ne' tentkonterennó:ten'. Enkhehró:ri' káti' ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' tsi iah tekenièn:te' nakhekaré:wahte'. Enkherihwanón:tonhse' tóka' othé:nen teionatonhontsó:ni akhé:ion'.
É:so tsi wa'konwaia'takéhnha' nakwatónhnhets ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne'. Wakeweientehtà:'on tsi iah tekontinièn:te' naionkhikaré:wahte', tánon' tóka' eniethitshà:ni'ke', enkónttoke' se'. Ionkerihonnién:ni ne otsi'nahkontahkwà:ne' tóka' setshahníhshere' tsi sónhnhe', é:so tsi satiesáhtha' tsi nisenhniserò:ten's tánon' tsi nisa'shatstenhserò:ten tsi iah tesarihwá:ka's tsi niióskats tsa'taktóntie'.
Edited by: Kassidy Jacobs, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde