The Fair Dance
A couple dancing non-traditional in regalia. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Mary Claus
Dances! Dances! Dances! The fair dance was the dance. Oh, gosh, yes. The fair dance. That was the event of the year except for the New Year's Eve dance. Those were the two big dances. Everybody was involved. There was all the courting and the people who were in love with each other and the people who were in process of falling out of love.
That's where you’d wear your glitter. You’d wear it in your hair. We all had glitter spray. Gold, multicolor, silver - whatever you needed. There it was. And when the dancers would dance close, the guys would get glitter on their faces.
Of course, there was no way you could get a license for any booze. Dry reserve. Some of the young men would be parked outside the hall, and they'd have booze in their cars. So, there was all this tripping in and out of the Council House.
The Council House had these big windows, almost from the floor up. Out in the back, the young guys would come and call flirtatiously towards the girls who hung out the window. Courting kinds of things and all that sort of stuff. Of course, with the booze being outside, a lot of socializing was going on out there. That's where the scuffles took place. The fair night was never complete unless you had a small fisticuff outside. And then, rumor would run into the building.
“So and so just hit so and so!”
“Well, that’s because he’s been seeing so and so!”
It was just a soap opera. But the bands were great. You know, the same band played all night and everybody danced. Even mum and dad danced. Dad didn’t like to dance because he was shorter than mum. But mum liked to dance and so she did a turn with just about everybody. The windows were open. The boys were outside, and the girls were flirting with the boys. Oh, yeah, it was fair night and the old ladies surveilled it all.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Tsi Tetiontkenniè:tha Kanónnia
A look at an on-going jamboree inside of the Kirby Dance Hall. (Courtesy: Lisa Phillips)
Mary Claus IAKOKÁ:RATON
Kwah nia'tekanónniake! Kwah tkanonniowanèn:ne ne thí:ken tsi tetiontkenniè:tha kanónnia. Ótsta, orihwí:io. Thí:ken tsi tetiontkenniè:tha kanónnia. Ne naonhà:'a tewentowanèn:ne thí:ken ne tsi niióhseres nek tsi iah nó:nen Tsi Na'teiontatenoronhkwánions kanónnia enwatenonniahtén:ti'. Kwah nè:'e ne tekanónniake ne kwah tkenikowanèn:ne. Akwé:kon ratiià:tarahkwe'. Kwah akwé:kon wa'thontathsinatón:ha'se tánon wa'thontatenó:ronhkwe' tánon ronátia'ke ó:nen shihatinoronhkwahtsherienèn:sere'.
Tho nikahá:wi' wáhi é:so teiostarathénion énhsatste'. Sanonhkwiserá:kon énhsatste'. Ionkwaién:tahkwe' wáhi thí:ken tewatstarokwáhtha teiostarathénion. Ohwistanó:ron, nia'tewahsóhkwake, kahwistakén:ra – kwah tsik nahò:ten tesatonhontsó:ni'. Eh ká:ien. Sok nó:nen ratikonhsákta tenhatinónniahkwe' ne tehatinonniáhkhwa, tho shos rotisken'rhakéhte ratikonhsà:ke eniaorà:seron' thí:ken teiostarathénion.
Orihwí:io, kwah iah káneka tekaién:tahkwe' aiehiatonhseraié:na' aiehní:non nonen'tákeri'. Ionatáthen kanonstá:ton. Ronátia'ke ken' nithotiién:sa tho átste nonkwá:ti ne tsi iontonkwe'tarohrókstha rati'serehtakè:ron', tánon onen'tákeri rotí:ien raoti'seréhtakon. Thò:ne ki', tsik nón:we thonahsi'tia'khòn:ne rotihnhohakarénion' ne Council House nonkwá:ti.
Tó:k niionastonhkowá:nens ne thí:ken Council house, thóha tsonákta tsi nitiótte. Ok ne ohnà:ken nonkwá:ti, tho enthón:ne ratinekénhterons nia'té:kon enthotirihontiéhseron enhshakonaskátsten' ne kontiià:tases tsi kanastonhkwatárion ieionatia'takè:tote. Akwé:kon thí:ken athsí:naton tsi nikarihò:tens. Orihwí:io, tsi eh onen'tákeri tkahné:kaien átste', kwah tokèn:'en wa'thontatientéhrha'ne. Thò:ne wáhi wahonteriiohá:ton. Kwah iah nonwén:ton thiakaié:ri'ne thí:ken tsi tetiontkenniè:tha wahsontá:te tsik tóka' niiorihwà:'a enhonttsihkóia'ke. Sok thò:ne, enkarihwanákeren'ne tho kanónhskon.
"Kí:ken tánon thí:ken wahonteriiohá:ton kí:ken tánon thí:ken!"
"Kwah tho, áse' kenh wahón:rate kí:ken tánon thí:ken!"
Kwah tokèn:'en tekahsinontónnion kèn:ne. Nek tsi é:so tsi kanenhrí:ioskwe ne ronterennótha. Saterièn:tare wáhi, nè:'e sha'kanèn:ra wahonterennó:ten ahsontakwé:kon tánon akwé:kon wa'thatinónniahkwe'. Khó:ni istá tánon rákeni wa'thninónniahkwe'. Iah tehaon'weskwaníhahkwe' tahanónniahkwe rákeni áse' kenh istá sénha tehiathnenhsatíhen'. Nek tsi iakaon'weskwaníhahkwe' se' nistá tánon thóha kanenhrakwé:kon ia'tienenhrò:kten wa'thatinónniahkwe'. Akwé:kon kanastonhkwakaratáthon. Átste thón:nes ne ratinekénhterons tánon kontiià:tases ronwanaskatstén:ni ne ratinekénhterons. Tánon ki' wáhi tsi tetiontkenniè:tha wahsontá:te kèn:ne tánon orihwakwé:kon kwah tokèn:'en ia'kontika'én:ion ne tiotí:iens.
Edited by: Teyohá:te Brant, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde