↓ listen to the story in KANIEN’KÉHA ↓
🔈
↓ listen to the story in KANIEN’KÉHA ↓ 🔈
(Courtesy: Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Geraldine Standup
It’s the evolution of the spirit; You either are or you aren’t.
It’s just that simple.
We have a lot of people in this community who are very powerful individuals, very strong beings. There are people who are visionaries but because we’ve moved away from any kind of spirituality, it falls by the wayside because they don’t know what’s going on with them. So, they’re wasting time and their life.
Everybody that comes to this Earth is coming here with a mission and if you don’t know what your mission is, you’re going to spend your whole lifetime doing nothing about it.
But spirit beings will actually give you one upside the head and wake you up to it. That’s exactly what happened to me…
…I was a married woman with four kids and a home. I was the principal at Survival School. I had an over-busy life with no time for spirituality and my head was always in an ivory tower.
Eventually, I had to find my way.
And Spirit will isolate you, it’s very good at that. That’s pretty much what happened and eventually, this is where I came to be.
What happens is that you begin to lead a very mystical life with otherworldly beings. They’re not people, they are spiritual beings. It’s very hard to explain to someone who is totally disconnected from that or has no experience with it. I’m often put on the spot with explaining it because everybody wants to know, but it isn’t about intellect, it’s about knowing.
And I can’t tell you, you have to find your own way.
You have to want to and when you want to, you will be answered. Not necessarily by me, life will do that.
After all these years I still haven’t found a way to describe it.
It comes in your dreaming mind, whether you are asleep or awake. It is walking into a different dimension without you even realizing that you’re doing it. It’s just who you are.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Tsi ní:tsi watehià:rons ne natónhnhets
(Courtesy: Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Geraldine Standup IAKOKÁ:RATON
Nè:'e kaia'takwe'ní:io ne tsi ní:tsi watehià:rons ne natónhnhets ; Tho nihsia'tò:ten tóka'ni iáhten.
Thok niwatié:sen.
É:so iontionkwè:taien ne kén:tho kaná:takon néne kwah í:ken tsi ronátkon, kwah í:ken tsi ronatonkwe'tátkon. Ká:ien wáhi ne ronatetshenhserowá:nens nek tsi tsi é:ren ionkwéhton nothé:nen ne o'nikòn:ra karihontáhkwen, ehtà:ke iekaién:ta's nè:'e tsi iah tehonaterièn:tare tsi nihotiià:tawens. Ne ki', ronatiesahtonhátie ne raonenhnisera'shòn:'a tánon tsi ronnónhnhe.
Akwé:kon tsi nihá:ti rón:nes ne kén:tho tsi ionhontsá:te thé:nen ratirihontakóhe tánon tóka' iah tesaterièn:tare nahò:ten ne serihontakóhe, kwah tsi nihsónhnhes iah thé:nen thahsátiere eh nón:we aorihwà:ke.
Nek tsi ne o'nikòn:ra ratiia'tontáhkwen tó:kenske eniesahranonhsáia'ke tánon eniesá:iehte eh nón:we aorihwà:ke. Kwah tho nontià:tawen nì:'i...
... wakeniakòn:ne skátne kaié:ri nikaksà:take tánon wakenonhsó:tahkwe. Ohén:ton íktahkwe ne Survival School. Iaohetstáhkwen tsi na'tewakeweienhnhara'òn:ne tsi kónhnhe kwah iah the teionaktó:tahkwe ne o'nikòn:ra tsi niiorihò:ten akaién:take tánon tiótkon onawiró:wane ka'nikáhtakon tkaién:tahkwe ne kenontsì:ne.
Kháre ó:nen, ó:nenk tsi wa'ketshén:ri ka' nonkwenonhátie.
Tánon ensaia'tohtáhrho ne O'nikòn:ra, kwah í:ken tsi kaweién:te eh nahò:ten. Kwah tho na'á:wen tánon kháre ó:nen, kén:tho nón:we sewá:ko.
Tho neniá:wen kwah entehsatáhsawen enhsatsté:riste ne kwah tokèn:'en tsi iótkon tsi ní:tsi ahsónhnheke skátne tehonatierónnions. Iah ón:kwe tehatiia'tò:ten, o'nikòn:ra ratiia'tontáhkwen ne ronónha. Kwah í:ken tsi wentó:re ne takherihwathè:ten ónhkak ne kwah tokèn:'en tsi teiakotekháhsion eh nón:we aorihwà:ke tóka'ni iah thé:nen teiakorihwaientehrhà:'on. Iotkà:te thentiawénhstsi enionkerihwanón:ton'se ne takerihwáthe'te nè:'e tsi akwé:kon ronská:neks ahonaterièn:tara'ne nek tsi iah attokháhtshera teiorihò:ten, ne nà:'a ne aterien'taráhtshera.
Tánon iah thakkwé:ni akonhró:ri, ó:nenk tsi enhsetshén:ri ka' nesenonhátie.
Ó:nenk tsi enhsaská:neke tánon nó:nen enhsaská:neke, tensaterihwa'serákwa'se. Iah nì:'i tha'takonrihwa'serákwase, tsi sónhnhe tensarihwa'serákwa'se.
Ohnà:ken ne kí:ken é:so niiohserá:ke shé:kon iah tewaketshénrion tsi ní:tsi atia'tahnó:ton.
Én:wawe nó:nen satetshenhá:tons, iaweronhátien tóka' sén:ta's tóka'ni saiè:'on. Thiwatonhontsá:te nón:we wesataweia'tonhátie kwah iah tesattokenhátie tsi tho nihsatiéhrha. Nek tho nihsia'tò:ten.
Edited by: Melissa Stacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde