Shooting the flag
(Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Stephen Silverbear McComber
I remember in the summertime, just around the solstice, they used to do what was called shooting the flag. I don’t know if there was a flag or not, but there used to be a Christmas tree full of candy. They had it behind the church.
The older guys used to make a fire at the base of the tree, and they had some kind of ceremony. The men would shoot with shotguns until the tree broke because it was on a pole. It was maybe 10 or 12 feet in the air or a little bit higher.
When the tree fell, it was full of candy, and all the kids ran and grabbed it. The church started calling it blessing the water, but that originated from an older Indian ceremony that the people always did. Say Kahnawake was Catholic - if you went to St. Isidore, they were Catholic, too, but they didn’t do that. There were certain things that went on here because it was an Indigenous community.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
↓
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Iakwaròn:tats ne kania'taróhare
The back of the priest’s residence next to the Catholic Church. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Kè:iahre’ tsi niwakénhnhes, ákta ne sha’tewakenhnhí:hen, tho shes nihatiiéhrhahkwe’ néne ronròn:tats ne kania’taróhare iena'tónhkhwahkwe'. Iah tewakaterièn:tare tóka’ akwáh kania’tarohá:rahkwe’ tóka’ ni’ iah, nek tsi kanen’tó:tahkwe’ kwah tetkatsikhe’táhere. Ohnà:ken na’kanónhsati tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa’ nè:'e ronterihwahtentià:thahkwe’.
Né: sénha nithotí:ien ronnón:kwe tsi iothtèn:nate shes ronttsenhón:nis, tánon’ tiok nahò:ten’ wahonterihwahténtia’te’. Enhonròn:tate’ ken' nika'shennésha káhonre énhontste' ne ronnón:kwe tsi niió:re tenkanen'tà:ri'ne' ase’kén è:neken kanawa’ahtà:ke tkà:rahkwe. Tóka’ nòn:wa 10 tóka’ ni’ 12 niwahsì:take è:neken nitiótte tóka’ ni’ ostón:ha ísi’ nón: nitiótte.
Sha’kanen’tié:nen’ne’, kwah tetkatsikhe’tà:rahkwe’, tánon’ akwé:kon ne ratiksa’okòn:’a ia’thonráhtate’ tánon’ tahonnohrón:ko'. Nononhsatokénhti tahontáhsawen’ wahatinà:tonhkwe’ konwaia’taterístha’ ne ohné:ka. Nek tsi tho nitioterihwí:non ne sénha aká:ion Onkwehonwehnéha tsi ionterihwahtentia'táhkhwa néne iotkà:te tho nihatiiéhrhahkwe'. Tóka' shí:ken Kahnawa’kehró:non tahatiiahsónthake’ – tóka’ St. Isidore ienhénhse’, tehatiiahsóntha’ ni’ nè:’e, nek tsi iah eh tehatiiéhrhahkwe’. Khwató:ken nahò:ten’ kén:tho waterihwaténtie’skwe’ ase’kén Onkwehón:we nikanakerahserò:ten’ kèn:ne'.
Edited by: Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translation by: Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette