Get that boy to a powwow
(Courtesy: Leonard Bordeau)
Story told by Leonard Bordeau
One time, my grandson looked up at me and said, “Baba, I want to be a powwow dancer.” He was maybe five years old.
I said, “Okay Kawerashatste, are you sure?”
“Yes,” he said.
I told him that when I go home, I’m going to dig out some of my older regalia that I don’t use anymore and help him get started.
I had an old set of leggings. I had measured the inseam of his legs, and I cut the leggings down. I shortened an old choker that I had, and I made him a breach cloth with leather.
When I finished, I put everything in a bag and told my wife, “Let’s go see Kawerashatste, I’m gonna give him what I made for him.”
When we got to my daughter Tracy’s house, Kawerashatste was running around the backyard. Tracy yells for him, “Kawerashatste, come here for a minute, Baba brought you something.”
I gave him the bag and said, “Take a look in there.”
He opened it and his eyes got big. He told his dad, “I wanna go in the house, dress me up right away.” He just couldn’t wait. He got dressed and he was dancing all over the backyard.
I told Tracy, “We gotta get that boy to a powwow.”
We had already missed the powwow here in town, so we brought Kawerashatste out to Tyendinaga. Tyendinaga powwow is usually around the second weekend of August. It was his first powwow.
We drove there on a Friday, slept over and went to the powwow on Saturday morning. Grand entry was at 1:00 p.m. so we got there early. He wanted to get dressed right away. I said, “Kawerashatste, we got a two-hour wait,” but no he wanted to get dressed.
Come grand entry, they have a place they call the Eastern Door where we enter the dance area. They had their drum arbour in the middle of the dance area. The drumming started and my grandson was already jumping around. We didn’t even get started; he just couldn’t wait. He was really into it.
It was unbelievable. He was a natural right from the start. He picked up on all the dance moves. When you dance men’s traditional, you’re supposed to stop at the last beat. You can almost feel it coming, and he caught that.
He was great and he only got better. Next, he got into smoke dancing. At that time, you were allowed to do both categories, traditional and smoke dance. He placed and made money every year. He amazed the people there.
Every year it was like that. It became like a ritual; we’d go to powwows together.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Pawáhne iehtshiia'ténhawh thí:ken raksà:'a
(Courtesy: Leonard Bordeau)
Leonard Bordeau ROKÁ:RATON
Énska tsi náhe, riiaterè:'a è:neken tahakwatkáhtho' tánon wahèn:ron', "Bába, kaská:neks pawáhne takenónniahkwe'." Ki' ónhte wísk nithoién:tahkwe.
Wa'kì:ron', "Hao' ki' Kawera'shátste, orihwí:io kenh?"
"Hen," tahèn:ron'.
Wahihró:ri' tsi nó:nen iénskewe' tsi tewakenónhsote, ensektáhko' nakwatahkwenniaká:ion néne iah teskátstha tánon wahiié:nawa'se' aontahatáhsawen'.
Teioriseré:sons aká:ion watién:tahkwe. Wa'kate'nién:tenste' tsi ní:ions tsi teha'khó:ken tánon wa'kkwè:tare' tsi wa'kástohte' ne teioriseré:sons. Wa'kástohte' nathniahtánia aká:ion watién:tahkwe tánon óhna wahi'kharonnià:ten'.
Tsi ó:nen wà:khsa', akwé:kon kaiá:rakon wa'kéta' tánon wa'khehró:ri' khekstén:ha, "Hao' tshitiatken'sè:ra Kawera'shátste, enhí:ion' ne nahò:ten riionnién:ni."
Shia'ákenewe' kheièn:'a Tracy tsi tiakonónhsote, Kawera'shátste kahsòn:ne nonkwá:ti thátakheskwe. Tracy iehonwèn:nonks ión:ton, "Kawera'shátste, ká:ts nikarihwésha, Bába nahò:tenk iahé:wi."
Tahí:ion' ki' ne ká:iare tánon wa'kì:ron', "Satkáhtho kaiá:rakon."
Wa'thatá:kwarihte' tánon tó:k na'thakahrowahnháhseron'. Wahohró:ri' ro'níha, "Í:kehre kanónhskon iá:ke', óksak takhserón:ni." Kwah tokèn:'en tehosterihénskwe. Wahathserón:ni' tánon tho kahsòn:ne nonkwá:ti aten'èn:rakon ia'teshonniáhkwen.
Wa'khehró:ri' Tracy, "Entà:'on pawáhne iehtshiteniia'ténhawh thí:ken raksà:'a."
Ó:nen teionkwatohetstén:ni pawáhne ne kén:tho kaná:takon ne ki' tiorì:wa Kenhtè:ke iahshakeniia'ténhawe' ne Kawera'shátste. Iotkà:te tekeníhaton iahia'kserá:te ne Seskehkó:wa ronhtentià:tha ne Kenhte'kéha pawáhne. Nè:'e ne tontié:renhte' pawáhne iehawenòn:ne.
Wískhaton niwenhniserò:ten tho ia'akwató:ri', ia'akwanòn:wete' tánon pawáhne ia'ákwe' ne Iahià:khaton ohrhon'kè:ne. 1 niiohwistà:'e iotohétston éntie onterihwahtén:ti' ne tsi niiontaweia'thahkó:wa ne ki' tiorì:wa iosnó:re ia'ákwawe'. Wahaská:neke' iosnó:re ahathserón:ni'. Wa'kì:ron', "Kawera'shátste, tékeni tekahwistà:'eks ó:nenk tsi entewatehrhá:rate'," nek tsi iáhten, raská:nekskwe ahathserón:ni'.
Ó:nen ki' iahonterihwíhewe' ne tsi niiontaweia'thahkó:wa, rotí:ien tsi nón:we ne Eastern Door konwana'tónhkhwa tánon eh nón:we ia'akwátaweia'te' ne tsi teienonniahkwà:tha. Ahsén:nen nón:we ne tsi teienonniahkwà:tha rotiién:tahkwe raoná:wen tsi ie'nahkwaia'ákstha o'nenhró:kon.Tontáhsawen' tsi roti'nahkwáien tánon riiaterè:'a ok nà:'a áktek teshani'tsonhkwahkwaniòn:res. Kwah iah áre'kho tetionkwatáhsawe, kwah iah teiotòn:'on ahotehrhará:ton'. Kwah tokèn:'en wahotéta'a'se'.
Kwah iah tetiawehtahkwèn:ne. Kwah shahoié:ra tsi niiosnó:re shontontáhsawen'. Óksak wahatenonwará:ko' akwé:kon tsi nikanonniò:tens. Nó:nen tenhsenónniahkwe' ne ronnón:kwe raotinónnia orihwakaionhnéha, entà:'on ténhsta'ne' nó:nen ohna'kénhkha enhati'nahkwáia'ke'. Kwah tsi ní:ne sattó:kas tsi tá:we tánon tó:kenske wahaié:na' thí:ken.
Kwah iaonnià:ton tsi nihaweientehtòn:ne tánon nek sénha tahoiáneren'se'. Nó:ia, iotien'kwarón:ni kanónnia tonsahanónniahkwe'. Neh shitkahá:wi, iesarihwá:wiskwe tetsá:ron kanonnia'shòn:'a tahsenónniahkwe', orihwakaionhnéha tánon iotien'kwarón:ni kanónnia. Tsik niiothiá:ton wahá:ton' tánon thia'teiohserá:ke wahahwistón:ni'. Kwah tokèn:'en wahshakonehrákwahte' nón:kwe eh iehón:neskwe.
Kwah tió:konte tho niiohtòn:ne thia'teiohserá:ke. Tsi ní:ne karen'nháhtshera ón:ton' ; pawáhne skátne ieniákwe'.
Edited by: Melissa Stacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translation by: Karonhí:io Delaronde