Cannon ball anchor
The point, a piece of land piercing through the St. Lawrence river. Currently the location of the Onake Paddling Club and Water Filtration plant. (Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by John Stacey
I was born in a house along the water, the water that people now call the Seaway. It was one of the original houses because it’s made from river rock. When we dug out the basement at our house to make it a bigger basement, we found two cannon balls. We took one of the cannon balls and my father welded a link from a chain and that became our anchor for our boat.
When they first started building the Seaway, they built a wall by the marina as a dam. They dammed it, then they drained it, this way they can continue digging from down below. I remember running around in the river. There were still some big pools of water after they drained it, and those pools still had fish in them. We found frames of birchbark canoes, muskets, small ones and long ones. The priest grabbed them from us kids right away and took them to the church.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Kahonre'kó:wa aonenió:wane' iakoristontiéhtha'
A very basic overview of sketches depicting aboriginal men building a canoe together. Appropriately titled "Making Canoes." (Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
John Stacey ROKÁ:RATON
Kanónhskon wa'kenákerate' atsà:kta' kanonhsó:tahkwe', tsi nikaniatarò:ten nòn:wa Tsi kana'tsheratátie' ratina'tónhkhwa' nón:kwe. Né: kí:ken ne énska ne tsi ní:kon tiotierénhton kanonhsó:tonhkwe' né: tsi otstèn:ra' ionnià:ton, kaniatarà:ke thotitstenhrénha. Sha'atió'kwate' nontionhontsó:kon tsi tionkwanónhsote' ne sénha aiakwakó:wanahte' nonhontsó:kon, wa'akwatshén:ri' tékeni kahonre'kó:wa aonenió:wane'. Énska ne onenió:wane' ia'akwáhawe', rake'níha nè:'e waharistóserahwe' kí:ken oronkwáhsa' tánon' onenió:wane' wa'thákha', nè:'e ki' wa'ákwatste' kahonweià:ke ne iaionkwaristón:ti'.
Shontahontáhsawen' ahatina'tsherón:ni', wa'thonhsonhtó:ten' ákta' tsi ionthonwaientáhkhwa' ne ahatihnekahnhó:ton'. Wahatihnekahnhó:ton', sok wahatihné:kentste', oh naiá:wen' enwá:ton' ienshontahsónteren' enhatihsonión:ni' sénha ehtà:ke niá:we'. Kè:iahre' ia'ktakhéhshon kanón:wakon tsi rotihnekatáhkwen. Iokwenhrá:ron shé:kon iohnekónion tsi ó:nen wahatihné:kentste', tánon' shé:kon kéntson tkonti'terón:tonhkwe' ne tho. Wa'akwatshén:ri' oná:ke ao'nikónhara', ionthonraniiontáhkhwa', ken' nikahonrà:sa tánon' kahonré:son's. Ratsihénhstatsi óksa'k wahshonkwáhkhwa' ne iakwaksa'okòn:'a sok ononhsatokenhtì:ke iehóha.
Edited by: Aaron McComber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Sahawisó:ko' Arquette