Another mouth
The boys of Spanish residential school pick squash from the farm on site. (Courtesy: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University)
Story told by Alma Ransom
My mother worked all the time so my father was the babysitter. One day, my dad had to go somewhere and so I had to stay with his cousin, Mary, that day.
When I got to her house, she told me, “We have to take the car to the Indian agent’s office. Children are waiting there to be taken to the train.” I had an inkling to where they were going. Residential school. Mary had a car so they asked her to take children regularly.
The little girls that got in the car had beautiful clothes on, like people at a wedding or a first communion. They wore silk and had hats on. They went to sit in the back. Then a little boy got in and sat in the front with us. He was also dressed up. He wasn’t wearing big overalls or anything like it. Instead, he wore pants that had a line right down the middle - pressed pants. Anyways, we took off.
The Indian agent’s office was in the village of St. Regis. We took the children and we drove through New York State and crossed over to Cornwall Island. On the way, the little girls were chatting in the back but the boy was quiet. Oh, how I admired their clothes. It was the kind of thing where you wished you were going to go to that school too.
The little boy was quiet the whole time until he said to my aunt, “Mary, let me stay with you. I promise I will never eat a lot.” I had no inkling of what he meant by that. My aunt never answered. We were quiet all the way. We crossed the last bridge, and went to Cornwall in Ontario.
When we were close and heard the train whistle, that little boy said the same thing to her again. My aunt just kept her head down and kept on driving.
The remains of Spanish residential school following its closure. (Courtesy: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University)
We got to the train station and she drove right up on the ramp. The guys that work on the train came right to her car and opened the doors to get these children out. As soon as those kids made it clear of the car, she put it in reverse and we got out of there. A few minutes later, she parked on the side of the road and she cried and cried. I just didn’t know what was happening.
She says to me, “I have six children. I have six mouths. I can’t feed another mouth.”
I never saw those kids again. They were all brought to Spanish residential school, in these beautiful clothes. I later found out that when they get there, they’re stripped of these clothes and they never see them again. And now I know that all hell begins. Many didn’t come home.
I had always thought that they chose to never come home.
After college, I worked for Indian agents and was forced to help make the arrangements for children to go to Spanish Residential school. I didn’t know what I do now, I didn’t know what really happened to so many children and the conditions that existed. I will go to my grave regretting my feat.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Thikáhsate'/Thikahsaká:rate'
Courtesy: Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre, Algoma University
Alma Ransom IAKOKÁ:RATON
Rake'níha shes ratewiranónhnha' ase'kénh tiótkon ake'nisténha iakoió'te'. Sewenhnísera ki' thí:ken, ó:nen'k tsi ka'k iahà:re' ne rake'níha sok ó:nen'k tsi káti' ronara'sè:'a Wá:ri eniakenè:sheke' ne tho shiwenhniserá:te'.
Tsi tiakonónhsote' shiahà:kewe', wa'onkhró:ri', "Ó:nen'k tsi etiénhne iéntene' eniatiatató:ri' ne kà:sere. Ratiksa'okòn:'a tho rotihrhá:re' ohthiio'kehà:ke iahonwatiia'ténhawe'." Ok thiahà:khewe' ka' wahón:ne'. Tsi iontientáhkhwa' ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' ki'. Iako'serehtaién:tahkwe' ne Wá:ri wahshakotiri'wanón:tonhse' ká:ti' ne iahonwatiia'tenháhseke' ne ratiksa'okòn:'a.
Iotahkwenniáhskats ionatstòn:ne' ne tekeniksà:'a tatiatíta', tsi ní:ioht ne onkwehshòn:'a né:ne iakotèn:niote' tóka' ni' nó:nen ieia'tarà:sere'. Kà:nheks ionátston tánon' ionanonhwaró:ron. Ohnà:ken nonkwá:ti ia'tiatíta' thí:ken. Sok kí: raksà:'a tahatíta' tánon' ohén:ton nonkwá:ti ne wahanitskó:ten' tsi nón: ní: iakenítskote'. Rotia'tahserón:ni ni' nen' nè:'e. Iah tehótston kowá:nen ionthnenhsotáhrhoks tóka' ni' knahò:ten' ne tho ní:ioht. Khé:ken, tehohtháhsteren karisténhton kwah ahsén:nen nón:we.
Tiótkon ki', wa'akwatenenhrahtén:ti'.
Kaná:takon St. Regis Etiénhne tkanonhsó:tahkwe'. Ia'akhiia'ténhawe' ne ratiksa'okòn:'a tánon' wa'akwató:ri' Wahstonhronòn:ke Tsi watonhontsá:te' teionkwatohétston sok ia'tiakwà:ia'ke' Kawehnò:ke niió:re. Teiotihthá:rahkwe' ne tekeniksà:'a tsi niioháhes, ok ne raksà:'a shah thihotatón:ni ki' nen' nè:'e. Ó:, tsi na'kenòn:we'ne ne raonatahkwénnia'. Tsi ki' ní:ioht ne wahsahská:neke' ne tho ni' nón: ahsateweiénsthake'.
Shah thihotatón:ni ne raksà:'a tsi nikarì:wes, tsi niió:re wahshakohró:ri' naktén:t wahèn:ron', "Wá:ri, takeríhon taietiatiáhsete'. Enkerihwísa' iah nonwén:ton é:so tha'takatskà:hon'." Iah ki' thé:nen thiewákhe' nahò:ten' rén:ton. Iah ki' nonwén:ton tha'teiakorihwa'serákwen naktén:t. Shah thiionkwatatón:ni tsi niioháhes. Ó:nen ohna'kénhkha' ia'tiakwahswí:ia'ke', sok Tsi kaná:taien' Ontario nón:we ia'ákwe'.
Ó:nen thó:ha shia'ákwawe' sok wa'onkwathón:te'ne' ohthiio'kéha wahenná:kahre'. Sok né: shà:ka á:re wahshakohró:ri' ne raksà:'a. Kwah nek ionsaiontahsónteren' tsi iakoniaren'tòn:ne' tánon' ionsaiontahsónteren' tsi iakotorihátie' naktén:t.
Ohthiio'kehà:ke ia'ákwawe' sok ia'eráthen' tsi wahskwakarèn:re' ia'onte'seréhtaien'. Ronnón:kwe néne ohthiio'kehà:ke rotiió'te' kwah ako'serehtákta tahónttate' tánon' wahatihnhotón:ko' sahonwatiia'titáhko' ne ratiksa'okòn:'a. Kaní:io'k tsi é:ren wahón:nehte' ne ka'serehtákta ne ratiksa'okòn:'a, ohnà:ken saionhténtia'te' nakò:sere, wa'tiontkahrhaté:ni' sok wa'atiahtén:ti'. Tóhkara nikahseriiè:take sok, ohahákta wa'onte'seréhtaien' tánon' wa'tionhséntho', wa'tionhséntho. Kwah nek iah tewakaterièn:tarahkwe' oh niiawenhátiene'.
Wa'onkhró:ri', "Ià:ia'k niwakewí:raien'. Ó:nen'k tsi ià:ia'k nihá:ti enkhé:nonte'. Iah thaón:ton' ó:ia' shé:kon aonsahí:nonte'."
Iah ki' nonwén:ton tesekhé:ken thí:ken ratiksa'okòn:'a. Akwé:kon Spanish tsi iontientáhkhwa' ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' iehonwatiia'ténha, iotahkwenniáhskats kí: ronátston. Ohnà:ken ki' thí:ken onktó:kenhse', nó:nen tho ienhón:newe', enshonwatihseronniahsión:ko' kí:ken tánon' iah nonwén:ton thaonsahontkáhtho' ne raonatahkwénnia'. Ok ó:nen ki' onktó:kenhse' tsi akwé:kon onéhson wa'tewatera'né:kare'. É:so iá:kon iah tha'tetiakohténtion. Tiótkon wakehròn:ne' tsi wahatirá:ko' ne tóhsa nonwén:ton taontahonhtén:ti'.
Tsi ó:nen wa'tkatóhetste' tsi ionterihwaienstahkhwa'kó:wa, wa'kheió'tenhse' ne Étien tánon' tionkenonhtòn:se' akhehsnié:nen' nahonterihwahserón:ni' Spanish tsi iontientáhkhwa' ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' ahonterihwaienstà:na' ne ratiksa'okòn:'a. Iah tewakaterièn:tarahkwe' tsi nahò:ten' nòn:wa wakaterièn:tare'. Iah ki' tewakaterièn:tarahkwe' oh kwah nihotiia'tawèn:'en ne é:so rá:ti ratiksa'okòn:'a nok tsi nihotinakto'ténhne'. Nó:nen enkíheie' shé:kon enskataterihwahstenníheke' tsi niwatié:ren.
Translated by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette