Conservation
Mitch spends an afternoon planting lettuce and various other vegetables in his garden bed at his home in Kahnawake. (Emma McLaughlin)
Story told by Mitch Deer
The white man grows only one kind of food and keeps growing it on the same land, he doesn’t give the land a chance to come back.
When we slash and burn to make a field to grow food, we know we only use that field for so long and then we move to another place so we let that field come back. You don’t use up or abuse the land. That’s the way our ancestors taught us. You grow food for a little while and then you stop and you move to another place. That’s conservation.
The white man didn't know about conservation until the 60s. He discovered it after a while, that we should conserve the land, the water, the animals. But we’ve always done that. It’s in our religion, in our way of life to do that. But they never knew that about us. You see?
We have more to contribute to the world’s problems than they realize. But they don’t want to listen to us.
Kanonhstá:ton
In addition to vegetables, Mitch also grows tobacco in his garden. (Emma McLaughlin)
Mitch Deer roká:raton
Ratihnarà:ken tsorì:wa khok enhatiiéntho' tánon' né: enshatiienthóhseke' né: sha'onhóntsa nón:we, iah thahonthón:tate' ne onhóntsa' aonsaiote'shennaién:ta'ne' ne aonhà:'ak aonsaionhontsáre'sen'.
Ohén:ton eniakwathehtón:ni', eniakwakwirià:khon' tánon' eniakwahén:tatekte', ionkwaterièn:tare' tsi kwató:ken nikarì:wes khok eniakwatonhóntsatste' sok ki' tentsakwaná:tahkwe' oh naiá:wen'ne' ne aonsaionhontsáre'sen'. Iah se' thiaiakwáhsa'ahte' nahò:ten' ió:ien' nonhóntsa' wáhi tánon' iah thaiakwatonhontsaié:sahte'. Tho se' niiorihò:ten ionkhirihonnién:ni ne ionkhihsothokon'kénha. Ken'k nikarì:wes enhsienthóhthake', sok ténhsta'ne' tánon' ákte' nón:we ensehsiéntho'. Tho ki' ní:ioht enhsenónhstate'.
Iah thé:nen tehatirihwaienteríhne' ne ratihnarà:ken néne oh ní:ioht tsi ahatinonhstátsheke' nonhóntsa' tsik tóka' kwah tióhton iawén:re tewen'niáwe tánon' ià:ia'k niwáhsen's shiiohserò:ten's. Wahatirihwatshén:ri' tsi teiotonhóntson akanonhstá:ton nonhóntsa', ohné:kanos, tánon' ne kontírio. Nek tsi tiótkon se' ní: tho niionkwaierenhátie'. Eh tho niionkwarihwiiohstonhtsherò:ten, tho niiakwaweiennò:ten'. Nek tsi iah se' tho té:ioht teionkhiienteríhne'. Iah tehonttó:kas tsi ionkwaia'takehnhahtsherakà:te' ne enskátne taietewá:iehste' ne onhóntsa' aorihwà:ke . Nek tsi iah ki' tehón:nehre' aionkhiiatahónhsatate'.
Translation by Akwiratékha' Martin