Visiting
Kahnawa’kehró:non Leonard Bordeau and his wife on their wedding day. (Courtesy: Leonard Atonnion Bordeau)
Story told by Vivian OKE
My mother was sent away from Kanehsatà:ke to residential school in Ontario when she was only six. My father's little sisters, who lived down in the village, were sent to the same residential school and they became friends with my mother.
When my mother was 11, my father, who was 22, went to visit his sisters and while he was there, he went over to say hello to my mother to give her news about home. She told us, her children, that he was the only man that she knew from her home, so she looked forward to seeing him again. He came to visit several times and every time he did, he always went to see her and as a teenager, she fell in love with him.
When she was 18, the school sent her home on the train to Como and her brother rowed across the Ottawa River to pick her up. My father happened to be waiting for her in Oka. When they met and talked, he asked her if she would like to go to a friend’s wedding with him that night and she said yes. They got married two years later. She never looked at another man and they created five healthy children.
We did not practice any traditions growing up since my mother could no longer speak Mohawk. She used to speak only Mohawk but when she went to the residential school, the children were not allowed to speak their language. My father tried to reteach her, but she had a psychological block because the school had taught her, through the years, to appreciate only English. When she couldn't, and didn’t relearn Mohawk, my father spoke in English to all of us.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION 〰️
É:so tahanatà:ra'
Vivian OKE IAKOKÁ:RATON
É:ren ne Kanehsatà:ke wahshakonatè:kwahte' nake'nisténha tehonwatikhahsiónkwen tsi ronterihwaienstáhkhwa' iahshakonátka'we' Ontario nonkwá:ti ià:ia'k shitiakó:ien'. Né: rake'níha shako'ken'okòn:'a, kaná:takon tkonti'terón:tahkwe', né: shà:ka tehonwatikhahsiónkwen tsi ronterihwaienstáhkhwa' iahshakonátka'we' nonónha tánon' wa'tkontén:ro'ne' ake'nisténha.
Énska iawén:re shitiakó:ien' nake'nisténha, tewáhsen tékeni nithoién:tahkwe' ne rake'níha, wahshakonatahré:nahse' shako'ken'okòn:'a tánon' tsi náhe' eh shíthre's, eh akohén:ton iahà:re' wa'tehshakononhwerá:ton' nia'teiorì:wake orì:wase's wahshakohró:ri ake'nisténha ne tsi nithoné:non aorihwà:ke. Wa'onkhihró:ri', akotiien'okòn:'a, tsi nek raónha ronwaienteríhne' ne rón:kwe akénhake' tsi nitiakawé:non nithawé:non, né: ki' wa'karihón:ni' tió:konte' wa'tiakohsteríhen' á:re ahonwá:ken'. É:so tahanatà:ra' tánon' tió:konte' eh shahátiere', tió:konte' wahshakokénhsera' tánon' tsi iawén:re' nitiakoién:tahkwe', kwah wahonwanó:ronhkwe'.
Sha'té:kon iawén:re' sha'eié:rite', ionsahshakonaténniehte' nakaónha naonsaionhtén:ti' thiio'kéha saiontíta' tsi niió:re Como tánon' ronwahtsì:'a wahaká:we' tsi wa'thaniatarí:ia'ke' ne Kanà:tso tsi kaniataratátie' ahshakoia'títa'. Ok tha'ontierénhstsi' rake'níha shakohrhá:rehkwe' Ó:kha nonkwá:ti. Sha'thiatátken' tánon' sha'thnihthá:ren', wahshakorihwanón:tonhse' tóka' í:ienhre' à:ne' ronatén:ro rotiniákhe' ahiaten'niotà:na' eh tio'karahtsherá:te' tánon' wa'erihwanòn:we'ne'. Teiohserá:ke shontóhetste' sahotíniake'. Iah nonwén:ton akò:ren rón:kwe tehonwatkáhthon tánon' wísk nihá:ti ronata'karí:te' ratiksa'okòn:'a wahiatéweton'.
Iah othé:nen teionkwarihwaierí:ton ne tsi niionkwarihò:ten shiwakatehiahróntie' ase'kén ake'nisténha iah tetsonhrónhkhahkwe' Kanien'kéha. Nek Kanien'kéha ionhrónkhahkwe' nek tsi tsi tehonwatsikhahsiónkwen tsi ronterihwaienstáhkhwa' iahà:'en', iah tehonwatirihwá:wi ne ratiksa'okòn:'a nahontá:ti' raotiwén:na'. Rake'níha wahate'nién:ten' aonsahshakorihónnien', nek tsi kaió'tatskwe' nako'nikòn:ra' eh nón:we aorihwà:ke ase'kén wa'akorihónnien' ne tsi ronterihwaienstáhkhwa', tsi náhe' shitionterihwaiénstha', ne nek Tiohrhèn:sha aienó:ronhkwe'. Tsi wa'akorihwanó:ron', tánon' iah tetsakohronkhà:'on Kanien'kéha, Tiohrhèn:sha ki' sahshonkwatewennontáhkwen' ne rake'níha.
Edited by: Jonathan Turenne - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by: Karonhí:io Delaronde