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↓ listen to the story in KANIEN’KÉHA ↓ 🔈
(Courtesy: Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Só:se Raientonnis
My father was warned by the doctors not to exert himself too much because he was victimized by rheumatic fever when he was 13. It damaged his heart muscles and left him deaf in one ear. Rheumatic fever usually doesn’t kill outright but it leaves something.
So, he went to Saint Lawrence Barber’s College to become a barber.
He was cutting hair in the front room of our house and was charging a quarter for a haircut. When the Depression came around, some of the guys couldn’t come up with a quarter, so he was cutting hair for free.
This is what prompted him to close up the shop and move to the US. He disregarded what the doctor told him when the Depression came, and he ended up working in New York, along with many thousands of us. Some went to Detroit. I know one family that went to Chicago. The rest of us ended up in New York, and there were some families in Boston, too.
The draft came along in February of ‘42. And my father was drafted because he had an alien registration card issued by the US government.
He was directed to go to some address for a physical examination, and he was rejected right there because he was deaf in his left ear. But he didn’t get off scot-free, oh no. They put him to work in a war plant. It was within streetcar distance from the house.
So, he spent the war years working in that plant; building the airplanes, bombers, and shipping them to the west coast.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION 〰️
Iah teiotòn:'on teréntsho ahotikarià:kon
(Courtesy: Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Só:se Raientonnis ROKÁ:RATON
Rontétsen'ts wahonwà:riste ne rake'níha ne tóhsa sótsi ahatia'tahkwísron áse' kenh ionthnià:sohs wahokenhren'serón:ni áhsen iawén:re shithó:ien. Wa'okarónnia'te ne rawerià:ne tsi ionase'tarónnion tánon wa'thohónhtakweke ská:ti nonkwá:ti. Iah kwah tokèn:'en tsi thia'teiakokóntha ne ionthià:sohs nek tsi ok nahò:ten iawén:ras.
Thò:ne ki' Saint Lawrence Barber's College iahaterì:waienste ne iontatenónhkarons ahá:ton.
Onkwá:wen ohén:ton ká:nakte ne tsi tionkwanónhsote nonkwá:ti shos shakonónhkarons tánon teréntsho ranà:tonskwe tsi shakonónhkarons. Sha'okè:tohte ne Kahwistanó:ron, ken' nihá:ti ne ronnón:kwe iah teiotòn:'on teréntsho ahotikarià:kon sok thò:ne iah thé:nen teshonà:ton tsi shakonónhkarons.
Ne kí:ken wahote'nekarónhkwen nahahnhó:ton tsi ratenhninòn:tha tánon Wastonhronòn:ke iahátien. Iah tehshakowennaráhkwen tsi nahò:ten atétsen'ts ronwahró:ri sha'okè:tohte ne Kahwistanó:ron tánon thò:ne Kanón:no nonkwá:ti ionsahoió'ten, eh raia'tarátie iawe'tatshà:ni tsi nítion. Ken' nihá:ti Tiohsahrhóntion iahón:ne. Wakaterièn:tare skahwatsí:ra Shikáko iahón:ne. Ok ne ronátia'ke Kanón:no ionsahón:ne tánon ken' nikahwatsí:rake Wáston iahón:ne, ó:ni.
Ón:we ne waterí:io kahonkarià:kon ne Enhníska ne 42 shiiohserahsé:tas. Rake'níha wahonwahonkária'ke nè:'e tsi thiiakaonhontsá:te iakoianerenhserá:ien akohiatónhsera rahá:wahkwe néne Wastonhnéha kakoráhsera rotirihwahnirá:ton.
Ok wató:ken tsi nón:we iahonwató:ri ne ahóntken'se raoieròn:ta tánon óksak átste iahowaia'tón:ti nè:'e tsi shanonkwá:ti nahahónhtati tehahonhtakwekòn:ne. Nek tsi iah watiesenhón:we teshonwahnerénhsion, iáhten. Eh nón:we iahonwaió'tenste ne ionteriiostáhkhwa tsi ión:ni. Ká:ron ne énska ionte'serehtaténies ne kanakaróhare kà:sere niió:re kèn:ne ne tsi tionkwanónhsote.
Thò:ne ki' tsi nikarì:wes onteriiohserahtén:ti tho nón:we tsi ión:ni iahoió'ten. Wahrón:ni teká:tens, tkatshe'ténhtha teká:tens tánon Tsi Ia'tewatshónthos aktsa'któntie nonkwá:ti iahatenniehtánion.
Edited by: Emma McLaughlin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde