O'tónhkwa'
In the dead of night, an ember, with light as gentle as a lantern, might be seen bouncing to and fro. To the witness brave or foolish enough to gaze on its flickering flame, approach the o'tónhkwa', the spirit of death, at your own discretion. (Illustrated by George Rahrhaienté:ri Ross)
Story told by Michael Rice
As kids, our parents would always tell us scary stories as a way to get us back home by sundown. The neighbours used to talk about this o’tónhkwa’, the flame. They said if you ever see this flame bouncing around, don't go to it; It’s the spirit of death. You might see them along the roof of a house as a bouncing flame, the size of a small lantern.
Back then, we used to play in this area of Kahnawà:ke called Hooks Point, where I think they have the Quebec Bridge monument. All that area has been cleared out and landfilled, but when I was a kid, Hooks Point was all swamp where we used to go pick raspberries, wild strawberry, and blackberries.
One day, some of us decided to go fishing. Going down the trail, we thought we saw somebody in the distance who had one of those old Coleman lanterns. We decided to follow the trail where this lantern was going. As we got closer, we realized there was nobody there but this little flame. Everybody dropped everything and rushed back home.
All those years I still think about those stories that they used to tell us. I used to always wonder if those stories were true, but when we saw the o’tónhkwa’, we knew to run home as fast as we could.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
↓
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
O’tónhkwa’
Where the Quebec Bridge monument now stands, once stood the very swamp of Hook’s Point where a young Michael Rice and company decided to fish. On that fateful night, they took witness of the o’tónhkwa’, before frightfully returning home. (Courtesy: (And also pictured with the monument) John Stacey)
Michael Rice ROKÁ:RATON
Ken' shiiakwà:'a, ionkhiièn:'a shos enionkhikaratón:hahse' iotkaráthteron's né: ki' aionkhiiónnien' iaonsaiákwawe' ohén:ton ia'tenwatshéntho'. Teiakwanonhsanekhánion shos enhatiká:raton' kí:ken o'tónhkwa'. Wahonnì:ron' tóka' nonwén:ton énhsken' kí:ken o'tónhkwa ákte'k tesken'tsonhkóntie's, tóhsa ákta í:seht; nè:'e ne iakawenhé:ion akotónhnhets. Ki' ónhte' énhsken' tsi karonhkwe'nahrátie' kanonhsà:ke tewani'tonhkwahkwánions o'tónhkwa' í:ken, tho ní:wa' tsi ní:ioht ne ken' niwà:'a iehahserénhas.
Neh shitkahá:wi', ken' nón:we ne Kahnawà:ke shos eniakwatkahri'tsherón:ni' tsi nón:we ne Hooks Point iena'tónhkhwa' tsi nón:we í:kehre' kà:niote' thí:ken Quebec Bridge iakehiahráhkhwa'. Teiohtáhrhon kwah tsi niwatonhóntsa' eh nón:we tánon' ionhwentsáten', nek tsi shikeksà:'a, akwé:kon kanawà:rahkwe' ne Hooks Point tsi nón:we shos eniakwahiákha' skanekwenhtará:nen, thikontatewenní:io ken' niiohontésha, tánon teioterenhà:kton.
Sewenhnísera thí:ken, tohkára tsi niiátion wa'akwate'nikonhrísa' aiakwahriohkawinéha'. Tsi wa'tiakwatháhenhte', wa'ákwehre' wa'akhí:ken' ónhka'k é:ren ítien's thí:ken Coleman iehahserénhas iehá:wi'. Wa'akwate'nikonhrísa' ki' aiakwáhsere' tsi wa'ohatátie tsi nón:we thí:ken iehahserénhas wáhe'. Tsi sénha wa'akwáttate', wa'onkwató:kenhse' tsi iah ónhka'k eh tétien's nek wáhi kí:ken ken'k niwani'tónhkwa'. Akwé:kon tha'akwátkahwe' tánon' wa'tionkwasteríhen' tsi iakwen'terón:ton iaonsaiákwe'.
Akwé:kon thí:ken niiohserá:ke, shé:kon kanonhtonniónkwas ne tho nikakarò:ten's shos enionkhikaratón:hahse'. Tió:konte' shos enwakerihwaióha' tóka' tó:kenske' thí:ken okara'shòn:'a, nek tsi sha'akwá:ken' thí:ken o'tónhkwa', ionkwaterièn:tarahkwe' wáhi tsi niiosnó:re' ionkwakwénion' taonsaiakwaráhtate' tsi iakwen'terón:ton iaonsaiákwe'.
Edited by: Jonathan Turenne - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde