Crossing the St. Lawrence by canoe
Courtesy: Patrick Cross
Story by Patrick Cross
When I was in my late teens or early twenties, my brother David approached me and said, "Why don't we paddle from Kahnawà:ke to the town of Oka?"
I remember it was on a bright summer day so long ago and that this wasn't my idea, so of course I said yes. We prepped for an overnight stay, borrowed my brother Stephen's canoe, and pushed off from just about where Billy Two Rivers’ laundromat used to be.
We paddled up the Seaway, beyond the marina until we got to the hard part of our journey, crossing the mighty St. Lawrence River by canoe. We paddled hard and non-stop, as we were being pulled downstream. There was no straight line to cross and my mind shifted to the Lachine rapids and what it would do to us if we didn't make it across.
Finally, the shoreline of Lachine loomed ahead. We changed course, paddling against the current, making our way up stream. We paddled past Dorval, Beaconsfield, Baie-D'Urfe, and then onto Ste. Anne de Bellevue. There was a bottleneck of shallow, rapid moving water with a canal bypass where I think we carried our canoe on land until a point under Highway 20 where we could push off again. We paddled so hard but made such little progress until we finally broke free of the Ottawa River run-off and journeyed along the Lake of Two Mountains.
As summer days would have it, we realized we were paddling into a storm. We were alone in the middle of the lake. The wind grew stronger and so did the waves, along with heavy rain, thunder and lightening. For safety and stability, we dropped off our seats and sat on the floor of the canoe and paddled on into the storm. Fear is too light of a word to describe how I felt out there in the middle of the lake, paddling into a driving thunderstorm.
The storm passed and we made it to the town of Oka. We were wet but we brought a change of clothes in a trash bag. We had no big plans although we met some people there who we partied with through the night before heading back the next day. I imagine they would've thought we were pretty cool and maybe a little stupid to make this trip during a storm like that.
Heading home was easier with the wind on our backs and the current in our favor. I remember at one point because of the strong wind, we made a crude sail with a paddle as a mast and with David steering from the rear, we raced down the river. Somewhere around Dorval, there seemed to be a marina where people were watching us from shore. They looked worried and were calling us to come ashore but we pushed on towards Kahnawà:ke.
Finally, we made it back to town. The craziest part is we didn't even have life jackets. David is long gone now and probably so is the canoe, but the vague memory remains.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Kaniatarowanèn:ne teionkeniniatariia'konhátie oná:ke iatiátstha'
Courtesy: Patrick Cross
Patrick Cross ROKÁ:RATON
Iottíhen iawén:re tóka' ni' iotonní:ha tewáhsen shitewátien', rakhtsì:'a David ken' nontà:re' tánon' wahèn:ron', "Káton enteniká:we' Kahnawà:ke tsi niió:re' Oka tsi kaná:taien'?"
Kè:iahre' kwah tokèn:'en teioswáthe' akenhnha'kéhkha' niwenhnisero'tèn:ne' wahón:nise' tsi náhe' tánon' iah nì:'i tetewakerihontákwen, tó:kenske' ki' wa'kathón:tate'. Wa'atiatateweiennén:ta'ne' taiakeníhrhenhte', wa'kátateni' rakhtsì:'a Stephen raoná:ke, tánon' wa'atiatena'tkaranentáhsi' wa'atiathonwà:reke' ákta tsi nón:we ne Billy Two-Rivers raó:wen tsi ienoharè:tha' shos tkanónhsote'.
Wa'akeniká:we' wa'akenihnawà:ra'ne' ne tsi Kana'tsheratátie', ísi' nón:we ne tsi ionthonwaientáhkhwa' tsi niió:re' ia'ákenewe' tsi nón:we wentó:re' tsi teiontiatstikahwhenhátie', teionkeniniatariia'konhátie' ne Kaniatarowanèn:ne oná:ke iatiátstha'. Kwah tokèn:'en wa'akeniká:we' tánon' taiakenikón:tahkwe', tsi náhe' tsi wa'kaniatarátie' tiontia'tatihénthos. Iah káneka teiothahakwaríhsion naiátiatste' ne taiakeniniatarí:ia'ke' tánon' eh niaháhe' nake'nikòn:ra' ne Skaniatará:ti aó:wen kahnawahrónnion tánon' tsi nenionkeniié:ra'se' tóka' iah tha'taiakeniniatarí:ia'ke'.
Kháre' ó:nen, kheh iotena'tkará:te' ne Skaniatará:ti. Wa'tiakenité:ni' tsi nón:we na'onkeniiera'tonhátie', ionkenikawehátie' ákte' nonkwá:ti ne tsi wa'kahnawatátie', ionkenihnawahra'onhátie'. Wa'atiatóhetste' Dorval tsi ionkenikawehátie', Beaconsfield, Baie-D'Urfé, tánon' thò:ne ne Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue nonkwá:ti. Eh nón:we teioterontohrará:kon ne ken' niiohnotésha iohná:wate' skátne ne tsi iotena'tsherohetstáhkwen né: ki' tsi nón:we í:kehre' wa'tiakenihón:wahkwe' tsi niió:re' iotòn:niate' ohahó:kon ne 20 iothiá:ton iohatátie' tsi nón:we ón:ton' á:re wa'atiatena'tkaranentáhsi'. Kwah tokèn:'en wa'akeniká:we' nek tsi kwah nek ne iá:ken wa'akenikwé:ni' tsi niió:re' é:ren wa'ákenehte' ne Kanà:tso kaniataratátie' iewéhtha' tánon' Lake of Two Mountains nonkwá:ti wa'tiatiatstikáhwha'.
Tsi niioren'nhà:'on ne akenhnha'kéhkha' niwenhniserò:ten's, wa'atiáttoke' tsi eh wa'onkenikawehátie' tsi nón:we' na'teioweratá:se'. Kwah onkenonhahstsíhon kaniatáhrhen iakenihón:waien'. Sénha wa'kanehrákwahte' tsi iaò:te' tánon' tsi ionontakwarontóntie's, né: ò:ni' tsi kwah tokèn:'en iokennó:ron, iowè:ren tánon' tewani'nehkarahwánions. Né: aiatiatatonhnhakéhnha' tánon' aiatiathní:rate', taiatiathò:kwenhte' oná:ke kentskwà:ke wa'atiátien' tánon' eh wa'onkenikawehátie' tsi na'teioweratá:se'. Sótsi io'nhétska tsi nikawennò:ten ne kahterónhtshera' ne atia'tahnó:ton' tsi nonkónhnhawen' eh nón:we kaniatáhrhen, eh wa'onkenikawehátie' tsi na'teioweratá:se'.
Ontóhetste' ki' ne teioweratá:se' tánon' eh ia'ákenewe' Oka nonkwá:ti. Kwah onkwenhenróhsa wa'atiá:ton' nek tsi kaiá:rakon watahkwennitáhkhwa' néne ó:ia' aonsaiátiatste'. Iah othé:nen kowá:nen teiontiatenonión:ni nek tsi wa'akhiientéhrha'ne' tohkára niionkwè:take néne skátne wa'akwate'nikonhró:ri' tsi niwahsón:tes ohén:ton tsi niió:re' saiatiahtén:ti' shonsaióhrhen'ne'. Á:kehre' tsi ionkenira'séston tsi wa'tionkhiiatkà:neren' tánon' tóka' nòn:wa ostón:ha tiontiatiá:ro'kte' tsi wa'akenirá:ko' taiatiatstikáhwha' tsi nikarì:wes teioweratá:se' tsi ní:ioht thí:ken.
Kwah sénha watié:sen tsi saiatiahtén:ti' tsi ohnà:ken taionkenihrátie' tsi iówerare' tánon' ionkeniia'tenhawihtonhátie' tsi iohná:wate'. Kè:iahre' kí:ken énska iokwèn:rare' ase'kén tsi nika'shátste' wa'tkaweratá:se', aká:we' wa'akenónnia'te tsi ionterontotáhkhwa wa'átiatste' ne ahsén:nen ioiánere' ionthsirotáhkhwa' tánon' tsi ohnà:ken thoniarotáhrhon ne David, wa'tiatiaré:ron' tsi wa'atiahná:wenhte' tsi wa'kaniataratátie'. Ka'k nón:we aktóntie' ne Dorval, kwah tsi ní:ioht ne tsi ionthonwaientáhkhwa' akénhake' néne tsi nón:we ón:kwe tiakoterò:ron atsà:kta nonkwá:ti. Teiakotate'nikónhrhare' tsi niiekonhsò:ten tánon' tionkhì:nonks atsà:kta iaiákene' nek tsi ia'atiáthreke' Kahnawà:ke ionsaiákene'
Khá:re' ó:nen, saiatiatenatíhewe'. É:so tsi ionehrákwaht ase'kén iah othé:nen teionkeniién:tahkwe' ne iontia'ta'kerahkwà:tha'. Wahón:nise' thotohétston' ne David tánon ki' ónhte ò:ni' ne raoná:ke, nek tsi shé:kon skatátie ne iorihwanekhé:renht wehiahrà:'on.
Edited by: Aaron McComber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde