Echoes of Hooks Point
This group of swimmers is rocking by the boat. (Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Michael Rice
How many kids do you see playing hide-and-go-seek, tag, or Irish rover in their neighborhoods these days? When I was a kid, there were always kids out playing in their yards. Now, you don't see them play any of the games we used to play.
As kids, we used to play from sunrise to sundown, and sometimes we camped in our own yards. We’d go to the river in the summer to go swimming and fishing, and during the winter, we used to skate on the pond and play hockey.
Growing up, I used to like fishing at Hooks Point. Towards sundown, we'd all be coming back home because we didn't want to go out during the night, unless we were a big group; but that was mainly for fishing season. There used to be about one square mile with raspberry and blackberry bushes where we would spend June and July there just picking berries.
When the houses started getting developed, they cut the trees down and they bulldozed the whole area, and the berry bushes never came back. They filled all the swamps that we used to go spear fishing in and played pond hockey on, and that was the end of that.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Tsi niiohtòn:ne' ne Hooks Point
As shot from under the Train Bridge of people playing in the St. Lawrence River, prior to the construction of the seaway. (Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Michael Rice ROKÁ:RATON
Tó: nihá:ti ratiksa'okòn:'a shé:kens tsi iontahséhtha' ronatswà:ton, ietsontatié:nas, tóka' ni' Irish Rover tsi nón:we nithati'terón:ton nòn:wa wenhniseraténion? Shikeksà:'a, tió:konte' ratiksa'okòn:'a raonathentà:ke ronatkahri'tsherón:ni. Ok nòn:wa, iah thahshé:ken' tsi ronatswà:ton nothé:nen nì:'i iakwatkahri'tsherón:niskwe'.
Ken' shiiakwà:'a, eniakwatkahri'tsherón:ni' tsi nentkarahkwíneken'ne' tsi niió:re' tsi nia'tenwatshéntho', tánon' sewatieren'shòn:'a onkwathentà:ke wa'akwata'tohseró:ten'. Tsi kaniataratátie' ieniákwe' nakenhnhà:ke ne ki' aiakwatá:wen' tánon' aiakwahrióhkawine', tánon' nakohserà:ke, teniakwato'tsinehtsherón:ten' tsi kahrhionwà:taien' tánon' owisa'kéha teniakwattsihkwà:'eke'.
Shiwakatehiahróntie', wakon'weskwaníhahkwe' akahrióhkawine' Hooks Point nonkwá:ti. Tió:konte' shiia'tewatshenthóhsere', akwé:kon tsákwas tsi iakwen'terón:ton ase'kén iah teionkwè:ron iaiakwaiá:ken'ne' tsi niwahsón:tes, tsik tóka' sénha é:so aiatiónhake'; nek tsi nek aó:wen ne tsi niionhriohkawí:ne's. Énska míre teiotokerón:te' kaién:tahkwe' ne skanekwenhtará:nen tánon' shà:ies io'rheniohkó:ton tsi nón:we tsi niwenhni'té:son's ne Ohiaríha tánon' Ohiarihkó:wa ieniákwe' ne aiakwahiákha'.
Shontontáhsawen' sénha é:so wa'kanonhsotà:seron', wahatirontià:khon' tánon' wa'thonnohtahrhóhseron' atenatakwé:kon, tánon' iah nonwén:ton tetsotike'tóhton thí:ken káhi io'rheniohkó:ton. Wahatinahnónkhon' akwé:kon tsi kanawaién:ton néne tsi nón:we shos teniakwentsoia'ákha' tánon' owisa'kéha teniakwattsihkwa'ékha', tánon' thok nitsoká:res ne thí:ken.
Edited by: Jonathan Turenne - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde