They breathe, we breathe
Ellen Gabriel revisitng the pines in Kanehsatake in 2022 (Credit: Simona Rosenfield)
Story told by Ellen Gabriel
There is another way to live with one another that acknowledges and understands that we are part of the land, our Mother, we are not separate from her.
As Kanien’kehá:ka, our traditional laws teach us to care for the land, that the land is one of the most precious things in our lives, as she provides us with nourishment, medicine and food. We depend on the environment to survive. It is part of our existence and respect to all our relations; we are not separate from the Earth, nor all our relations, we co-exist with. Whatever they breathe, we breathe. That energy becomes a part of us.
More needs to be done regarding education on care and land protection for the faces not yet born.
As we know from the UN Climate Change reports, we are losing time in changing to a more sustainable way of existence. Those changes are influencing the health of the land, and consequently, the health of the people. Nature has its own laws, and we cannot change those laws. No matter how people try to control the environment, we will in the end understand that balance with the natural world is the only way we can survive as a species.
These lands are a testament to the passion and resiliency of our ancestors who fought so hard to guard what we have today. The reality is, we must continue this resistance because we are losing more of our homelands today from systemic racism and apathy that allows for urban sprawl and unsustainable resource development, changing the landscape we once knew.
There is hope and it is possible to make change only if we stand together, educate ourselves on our history and our traditional teachings on living with Mother Earth.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Onónha tkonnonriseratihénthos, ì:'i ò:ni' titionriseratihénthos
Mohawk warriors pose for a photo during the Seige of Kanehsatake, 1990. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Ellen Gabriel IAKOKÁ:RATON
Ká:ien' ne ó:ia' ní:ioht tsi enwá:ton' skátne entewen'terón:take' néne eniorihwakwénienhste' tánon' enio'nikonhraién:ta'ne' tsi shetewaià:ta ne Iethi'nisténha Onhóntsa', iah tha'teionkwatekháhsion nakáonha.
Tsi Iawanien'kehá:ka, ionkwarihonnién:ni wáhi ne tsi niionkwarihò:ten tsi ní:ioht tsi teniakwásnie'ne' ne tsi ionhontsá:te'. Tsi é:so tsi kanó:ron nonkwarihwà:ke tsi iatiónhnhe' ne tsi ionhontsá:te, tsi ionkhiia'tahní:rats, ionkhitsèn:tha', tánon' ionkhiiatenna'tsherá:wis. Kwah tó:kenske tewaniahé:sen ne nonhontsà:ke né: ki' naón:ton' aietiónhnheke'. Eh karátie' tsi tiónhnhe' tánon nó:ni akwé:kon ne tetewahnerénkhon; iah tha'teionkwatekháhsion' ne Nonhóntsa ó:ni akwé:kon ne tetewahnerénkhon néne skátne tionhnhétie. Othé:nen nahò:ten onónha tkonnonriseratihénthos, ì:'i ó:ni titionriseratihénthos. Shetewaià:ta enwá:ton skátne thí:ken ka'shatsténhsera.
Teiotonhontsóhon sénha tenkarihwasniè:'on tsi ní:ioht tsi eniontéweienste' tsi ní:ioht tsi taiakonhontsásnie'ne tánon ne aiakonhontsanónstate' ne tahatikonhsontóntie raotirihwà:ke.
Tsi ionkwahró:ris ne UN Climate Change kahiatónnion, ionkwatenhnisero'ktá:ni' se' ne taietewaté:ni' tsi tiónhnhe' tsi nonkwá:ti sénha ionhontsanonstá:ton iaonsétewe'. Tsi teionattenionhátie thí:ken, kwah nè:'e tekonnóia'ks tsi niiota'karí:te' nohóntsa, ne káti', tsi nishonata'karí:te' nón:kwe'. Ioianerenhseraién:ton wáhi ne sha'oié:ra ka'shatsténhsera tánon iah thaón:ton nì:'i taietewaté:ni tsi niioianerenhserò:tens. Iaweronhátien' ki' wáhi tsi nihonahkwísron nón:kwe' aontakonwaniarotáhrhoke' nonhóntsa, thò:ne tsi ieiotháho'kte ientsonkwa'nikonhraién:ta'ne tsi nek tho ní:ioht tsi entiónhnheke tsi tión:kwe tóka' tentewatatenéntsha ne sha'oié:ra onhóntsa.
Kwah nè:'e wate'nientenstáhkwen' ne ken' niwatonhontsò:tens ne tsi nihonateriahsahnirá:ton tánon nihonataskatstá:ton ne onkwahsótshera tsi é:so tsi ronahkwísron aontahatíhnhe' ne nahò:ten tsonkwá:ien nòn:wa wenhniserá:te. Ne norihwiiohón:we, aó:wen ki' wáhi iaonsetewatahsónteren' tsi ionkwathniarón:ni áse' kenh tó:kenske ionkwatiéhsherons ne tsi tewanakerénion' òn:wa tsi tehshakonarahsi'tò:raraks tsi niionkhiierà:se tánon tsi iah tehontsterístha tsi niionkwaià:tawens, ne ki' wáhi iakorihwá:wis ne sénha akowahnháhsheron ne ionatawenhténion' tánon tsi iotkentstonháties atonhnhéhtshera ronnón:nis, tehatiténies tsi niionhontso'tèn:ne tewaienterì:ne ne wahón:nise' tsi náhe.
Iohrhá:rats wáhi tánon wá:tons takaténion tsik tóka' skátne tentewá:ta'ne, entewataterihónnien' tsi niionkwaia'tawénhsheron tánon tsi niionkwarihò:ten ne tsi ní:ioht tsi skátne aietiónhnhke ne Iethi'nisténha Onhóntsa.
Edited by: Emma McLaughlin and Simona Rosenfield, Local Journalism Initiative Reporters
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde