The Council House
The Mohawk Council house on Old York Road in Tyendinaga, as built in 1926 by the band council. (Courtesy: Kanhiote Tyendinaga Territory Public Library)
Story told by Mary Claus
Many people now call the Council House the Community Centre - I don’t like that. I still call it the Council House and anybody I speak to knows what I mean. It burned down several times. Twice at least. Then it was rebuilt again. I was out west the last time it burned down. I think after that, they built the new one. It was just a square wooden box before.
In the old Council House, well, at least the one with which I was familiar, on the main level, there was a room at the back. And, from the dance floor, as I like to call it, you went downstairs to the basement. There was an open stairwell. I’ve got drawings of it. So, there’s this little add-on room. And that was the council chamber. You accessed it from the dance floor, which was a lovely hardwood floor. The house was heated with a woodstove or coal, I’m not sure which. It had pipes all around, which might explain why the thing burned down.
Later on, they had meetings right on the main floor. Dad was telling me there were a couple of women on council who did not get along. They were known to be rather expressive in their disagreements. They were in the meeting.
I don't know whether they were counselors or whether they were part of some other reason to be there. They had an altercation during the meeting. One woman stood up and grabbed her purse and just swung it at this other lady, who ducked. And this aggressor took out somebody else. Things were kind of wild and wooly at times. I don’t remember who it was or why it was. But I remember dad told me about this. Much more could be said about the council house. It was our political and social centre.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Tsi Ratitsenhaientáhkhwa'
An even earlier Council House, built around the 1880s (Courtesy: Kanhiote Tyendinaga Territory Public Library)
Mary Claus IAKOKÁ:RATON
É:so iá:kon Ken' Nithotiièn:sa Raotitióhkwa' tsena'tónhkhwa' ó:nen ne Tsi Ratitsenhaientáhkhwa' – iah tekenòn:we's thí:ken. Shé:kon Tsi Ratitsenhaientáhkhwa' kena'tónhkhwa' tánon' iah ónhka ne teiakwahtháhrha' teiako'nikonhraién:ta's nahò:ten' kí:ton. É:so ionon'kwatéken. Aró:nen tékeni ia'teioiénhton. Sok ó:ia' sahatinonhsón:ni'. Tsi ia'tewatshóthos tki'terón:tahkwe' né: nohna'kénhkha tionon'kwatéken. Kwah í:kehre' ohnà:ken thí:ken, wahatinonhsón:ni' né: nasé:ha. Nek teiotokerón:te' ó:iente' ka'nerohkón:ni kénhne' nohén:ton.
Kanónhskon ne thí:ken kanonhsaká:ion Tsi Ratitsenhaientáhkhwa', né: ki' tsi niká:ien' watientehrhà:'on, ne kahson'karakwe'niiò:ke, énska tká:nakte' ne ohnà:ken nonkwá:ti. Tánon' tsi nonkwá:ti tetienonniahkwà:tha', wakon'wéskwani nì:'i akenà:tonhkwe' thí:ken, ehtà:ke ienhsátsnenhte' onhontsó:kon iénhse'. Teioronhwenténion ní:ioht tsi kanekotonníson'. É:so wakerastánion thí:ken. Sok énska ken' niwà:'a iekanaktahsón:tere' ká:ien' eh nón:we. Tánon nè:'e ne tsi iontia'tarohrókstha'. Tsi tetienonniahkwà:tha' nón:we entehsatáweia'te', kwah ióskats ioientahní:ron kéntskaron. Ó:iente' tóka' o'swèn:ta' watónthos karístatsi wa'kanonhsataríha'te'. Iah tewakaterièn:tare' ka' niká:ien'. Kwah ákte'k nón:we teskahonro'tahronhwánion, tóka' nòn:wa nè:'e tiorì:wa' ken tsi wa'onòn:kwateke'.
Ohnà:ken ki', kheh tho kahson'karakwe'niiò:ke sahatitsenhaién:ton'. Rákeni rakhroriánionskwe' tsi tekeniiáhse kenitsénhaiens iah kwah tha'tetiatén:rohkwe'. Kwah tho ní:ioht tsi shakotiienteríhne' kwah iah othé:nen tha'teiotinonhiá:ni'ks tsi tekenirihwakéhnhas. Kenitsénhaiens ki', iah tewakaterièn:tare' tóka' tó:kenske' kenitsénhaiens tóka' ni' ó:ia'k nahò:ten' iotiià:the' eh nón:we. Wa'tioti'táksen'ne' wáhi tsi nikatsénhes. Tseià:ta wa'tié:ta'ne' taieié:na' nakohnà:ta' tánon' nè:'e wa'ontatóia'ke' thí:ken akò:ren iakón:kwe, kwah taionni'nó:waien', khé:ken ónhka'k akò:ren wa'ontatóia'ke' wa'ontátsnéra'ke' ne thí:ken' ionteriiohseranòn:we'. Kwah teiotenonhianíhton tánon' teionónhkeri sewatieren'shòn:'a. Iah teskè:iahre' ónhka nen' nè:'e tóka' ni' oh nahò:ten' tiorì:wa', nek tsi kè:iahre' rákeni wahakhró:ri' kí:ken nahò:ten'. Wá:tons wáhi sénha é:so entkawenninekèn:'en ne tsi niiorihò:ten ne Tsi Ratisenhaientáhkhwa'. Eh nón:we wa'akwaianerenhserohetstánion' tánon' wa'tiakwatatkenhá:ton'.
Edited by: Teyohá:te Brant - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde