Old Malone Highway
Horses provided a dependable source of travel and transportation before snowplows cleared the roads in town. The same is true in Eagle Bay, Ganienkeh, as children work together to gather wood in a horse-drawn cart. Circa 1976. Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center
Story told by Andrew Montour
Sometime between 1950 and 1960, I worked with an elder named Abraham Leborgne. When we were not busy, he would tell us stories about his younger days.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, we didn’t have snowplows in Kahnawà:ke. There were not many cars yet, it was mostly horse and buggies that traveled our roads.
Abraham’s friends heard a noise they had never heard before coming from the tunnel, so they ran towards the noise to find out what all the racket was. It was the first snowplow that they had seen and the first one ever in Kahnawà:ke. The driver was from La Prairie. He lived on River Road, past the old Longhouse in Kahnawà:ke. He had hired two young men to help clear the only road through Kahnawà:ke, all the way to Malone in New York.
It was a hard day’s work. They had to get out and shovel out the truck when they got stuck and help fix the chains on the tires. He had bricks in the back for added weight that would help the truck gain traction. The two guys from Kahnawà:ke also had to make sure the bricks in the back did not move around too much, and they would also have to wait sometimes for the motor to cool down.
It took them half of the day to clear the snow - from La Prairie through Kahnawà:ke to Huntington and finally to Malone, New York. In Malone they would eat, gas up the truck, and head back to finish their hard day’s work. This is the reason our highway is called Old Malone because it is the old road from La Prairie to Malone.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Old Malone Iohahakwe'niiò:ke
This view of old Malone Highway would be about the sight the very first snowplow driver in Kahnawà:ke would see. Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center
Andrew Montour ROKÁ:RATON
Ka'k nón: tsi na'tetiatohserátere' ne 1950 tánon' 1960 shiiohserò:ten's, wa'tiakeniié:na' shaià:ta thó:ien' Aprám Leborgne ronwá:iats. Nó:nen iah tha'teionkeniweienhnharà:'on, enhshonkwakaratón:hahse' néne ken' shithoién:ha.
Né: iotohseratíhen 1930 tánon' 1940 shiiohseratátie's, iah teionkwa'serehtaién:tahkwe' ne tekaniehtohtáhrhos Kahnawà:ke. Áre'kho shika'serehtanákerehkwe', sénha ki' akohsá:tens tánon' tewate'serehtahnhontéhrha' tehonatstikáhwhen ne tsi ionkwathaténion.
Aprám ronatenro'shòn:'a wahonathón:te'ne' ok nahò:ten' tiorá:kahre' néne iah nonwén:ton ohén:ton tehonathontè:'on. Tsi io'wharakà:ronte' nitiotewenní:non, né: ká:ti' tho niehotitakhé:non ne tsi tiorá:kahre' ahotitó:kenhse' oh nahò:ten' nen' nè:'e. Né: ki' ne tiotierénhton tekaniehtohtáhrhos ronatkáhthon tánon' ne tiotierénhton ne Kahnawà:ke nonkwá:ti. Kenhtà:ke nithawé:non ne ratórie's. River Road then'terón:tahkwe' ísi' nonkwá:ti ne ononhsakaiòn:ne kanonhsésne ne Kahnawà:ke. Tehniiáhse tehninekénhteron shakohnhà:'on ahiatahsnié:nen' tahatiniehtohtáhrho' ne ia'tekaià:ti iohá:te' teiotohétston Kahnawà:ke, ienhatihahò:kten' Tekanatà:ronhwe' New York nonkwá:ti. Kaio'tenhserowanèn:ne'. Ó:nen'k tsi enhiatitáhko' tenhniniehtohtáhrho' ka'serehtaktóntie' nó:nen enhati'serehtotáhrhe'ne' tánon' enhiatahsnié:nen' enhnironkwahsotáhrhoke' okahkwen'tà:ke. Kaneniarihtánion rawéten' ohnà:ken nonkwá:ti ka'seréhtakon ne sénha aióksteke' aioié:nawa'se' ne tóhsa aka'serehtotáhrhe'ne'. Né: tehniiáhse Kahnawa'kehró:non ó:nen'k tsi ni' nè:'e orihwí:io wahnón:ni' ne tóhsa só:tsi enionatoriahnerón:ko' ne kaneniahrihtánion, nok sewatié:rens ó:nen'k tsi enhontehrhá:rate' akawístohte' ne onón:tsi.
Sha'tewenhniserí:hen wahotiió'ten' tahatiniehtohtáhrho' - tenhontóhetste' Kenhtà:ke tsi niió:re' Kahnawà:ke sok Huntington ienshón:ne' kháre' ó:nen Tekanatà:ronhwe', New York nonkwá:. Ia'tenhontskà:hon' Tekanatà:ronhwe' nonkwá:ti, enhonteienáta' ne ka'serehkó:wa, eh thó:ne ienshón:ne' ahonnenhniseraié:rite'. Né: kí:ken tiorì:wa' onkwahahakwe'niiò:ke Old Malone konwá:iats ase'kén iohahaká:ion nen' nè:'e ne Kenhtà:ke tiohténtion tsi niió:re' Tekanatà:ronhwe'.
Edited by: Owen Mayo
Translated by: Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette