Marathon Mom
Before Mohawk Miles, other events spurred fitness on the streets of Kahnawake, such as the parade of the Kahnawake Majorette Corps. (courtesy Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Ray Deer
My mom was an amazing mother who took loving care of her children, but she was not very physically active in her early years. When I was stationed in Fort Sill in Oklahoma, we spoke over the phone, and she had mentioned that now that her children are grown and her husband was gone, she wanted to get healthy.
So, I bought her a book by a marathon runner named Jim Fixx. It was about how to start getting active and how to begin doing marathons. A few years later, I came back home to Kahnawake, and I realized that she had all these trophies that she had won from doing marathons.
She started going to Mohawk Miles, and she would help with fundraising. She would always go to the exercise classes at the Youth Center, and everyone was amazed saying “Oh man, she’s that old and here we are complaining.” She's an inspiration to many of our women in the fitness community.
In Kahnawake, an exceedingly popular question to ask is, “Who is your mother?” or “Who is your father?” When the elders would ask me who my mother was, I would say, “Margaret Deer,” and they would know her as the woman who is always walking around town with her backpack. So, that is how many of our community members got to know her, and how they still remember her.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
↓
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Teionreronskó:wa Ka'nisténhsera'
On her off time from being an inspiration to woman aspiring to be athletes, Margaret Deer found other ways to keep healthy through her love of gardening. (Olivier Cadotte The Eastern Door)
Ray Deer ROKÁ:RATON
Kwah tokèn:'en ka'nistenhseriióhne' nake'nisténha tsi taionteweièn:ton' tsi wahonwatinó:ronhkwe' ronwatiien'okòn:'a, nek tsi iah kwah teiontia'torià:neronskwe' ken' shitiakoién:ha. Fort Sill Oklahoma sha'ontia'tó:ten', teiehtharahkhwà:ke wa'tiakenihthá:ren' tánon' wa'ì:ron' tsi ó:nen ronatehià:ron ne ronwatiien'okòn:'a tánon' tsi rotohétston ne ró:ne, wa'onská:neke' aiontia'tahní:rate'.
Né: ki', Jim Fixx tehareronskó:wa raohiatónhsera' wa'khehní:non'se', nè:'e wathró:ris tsi ní:tsi tiontahsáhwha' aiontia'tahní:rate' tánon' tsi ní:tsi teionreronskó:wa taionré:ron'. Tohkára niiohserá:ke ohnà:ken sá:kewe' tsi tewakenónhsote' ne Kahnawà:ke nonkwá:ti, tánon' ia'tién:tere'ne' tsi é:so iakoron'ónhkwaien' néne teiakotèn:tshon tsi teiakoré:ron.
Mohawk Miles taiontáhsawen' eh iá:ien', tánon' enhonwatiié:nawa'se' nahatihwistarò:roke'. Tió:konte' Ken' Nithotiièn:sa Raotitióhkwa' ién:ien' eniontia'tahkarí:ioste', tánon' akwé:kon wahotinehrá:ko' rón:ton, "Ótsta', tho nitiakó:ien' tánon' ken' iákwe's ionkwarihwaka'tèn:'en." É:so kón:ti nonkwathonwisénhtshera' iakoti'nikonhrakará:tats tsi nonkwá:ti ne rontia'tahkariióstha' rotitióhkwaien'.
Né: Kahnawà:ke nonkwá:ti, iaohetstáhkwen tsi nikowá:nen rotirihwanontòn:tskon ne, "Ónhka ne sa'nisténha?" tóka' ni' "Ónhka ne ia'níha?" Nó:nen thotí:ien's enionkerihwanón:tonhse' ónhka ne ake'nisténha, enkì:ron', "Margaret Deer," tánon' tho ní:tsi shakotiienteréstha' tsi akaónha nen' nè:'e ionthahí:nes tsi nikaná:tes iakotiarahrátie'. Tho ki' ní:tsi shakotiienteréston, tánon' tsi ní:tsi shé:kon òn:wa shakonehiahrástha'.
Edited by: Owen Mayo
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde