Could've died
Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center
Story told by Niioie:ren Patton
When I was a kid, I remember seeing the older women, the grandmothers, swimming in the river. They were very modest, and they wore handmade black dresses, even for swimming. I think they would jump into the river behind the church and float way out in the middle of the river. We could hear them laughing and laughing, floating down with their dresses that would make an air bubble around them. They were out there just having fun drifting down the river.
I saw them so many times and thought, “Wow, that looks like so much fun.”
I told my friend at that time, Mimsy Pamela Whitebean, “We should do that.” We must have been around nine years old.
So, one day we decided that we were going to copy them but jump in at the point instead, or what people now call the Flat Rocks. That’s where the teenagers and older people swam. The water was pretty fast there, and you had to be a good swimmer. It was a shorter distance for us than jumping in at the church.
We figured we’d float down to the train bridge and just grab onto the pier of the bridge. We guessed that’s what the older ladies did. But being nine years old, we didn’t really put a lot of thinking into the plan. We’d made up our minds to have great fun like the grandmothers did.
So we jumped in and we floated out pretty fast. The current took us. We could swim but the water was swift, and you didn’t have to do much to be carried down the river.
From left to right, Elizabeth Meloche, Suzanne Delisle, Edith Lahache, Tessie Goodleaf, and Josie Hemlock pose while spending a day swimming in the St. Lawrence River, circa 1950. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Everything was nice for a little while until we got close to the bridge. I still remember the panic when I realized there was nothing to stop us. People always said it was dangerous if you go beyond the bridge because there’s whirlpools. Suddenly, I was frantic as we got to the piers and I remember reaching for an edge, but we were not close enough for my short arms to reach the pillar.
Then finally, I grabbed something underwater, an edge of something, I think. Somehow, what I grabbed stopped me and at the same time I grabbed my friend as she was floating by. I held on to her, but I remember no more than that. I don’t know how we even got back to land. I don’t remember getting out of the water. We could’ve died, both of us.
I believe my ancestors helped us, saved us, I’m sure. They gave me something to stop us from floating past the bridge to the whirlpools. Maybe it was a grandmother, maybe my great grandmother.
Somehow, we got back to land. But to this day, I don’t know how. My memory of what happened after I grabbed my friend is blank.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Aionkenihéion
Two young Kahnawa’kehró:non playing at the water’s edge along the St. Lawrence River. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Niioie:ren Patton IAKOKÁ:RATON
Shikeksà:'a, kè:iahre' enkhé:ken' tiotí:ien's, néne kontihsótshera', ionatawenhátie' tsi kaniataratátie'. Kwah í:ken tsi ehtà:ke kontatón:niskwe' tánon' wà:kontste' iesnonhsà:ke ióhson' watia'tawi'tsherahòn:tsi's, sha'té:ioht nó:nen enkontá:wen'. Kwah í:kehre' ohnà:ken tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa' nonkwá:ti ia'tenkonni'tsónhkwahkwe' tsi kaniataratátie' tánon' sha'tekaniatarí:hen niió:re eniotiia'ta'kerà:na'. Enionkwathón:te'ne' kwah iotiieshóntie', eh wa'otiia'ta'kerà:ne' ionatstonhátie' aonatià:tawi kwah teniotiia'táhnhake' tsi enwateweráta'. Kwah tho ienkón:ne' ionate'nikonhrorihátie' tsi ionahnawenhtonhátie'.
É:so wa'khé:ken' tánon wà:kehre', "Wá:, ion'wé:sen' ki' wáhi thí:ken."
Wa'khehró:ri' ontiátshi ne tho shitkahá:wi, Mimsy Pamela Whitebean, "Tho se' naiatiátiere'." Ákta ki' nà:'a tióhton nitionkeniién:tahkwe'.
Sewenhnísera ki' thí:ken, ia'tionkenirihwaién:ta'se tsi entiakhina'ké:ren' nonónha nek tsi khé:ken Point nonkwá:ti ia'teniatiani'tsónhkwahkwe', tsi nón:we' Tekentstenhrakwénhte' nòn:wa skonwá:iats. Tho nón:we ne iawén:re' nithotí:ien's tánon' ne thotí:ien's enhontá:wen'. Iohnawatehtòn:ne' ki' ne tho' tánon' teiotonhontsohòn:ne' ahseweientéhta'ne' oh ní:tsi ahsatá:wen'. Sénha ken' niiohrè:'a kénhne' nonkenirihwà:ke' ne niá:we tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa' nonkwá:ti ia'taiatiani'tsónhkwahkwe'.
Wa'ákenehre' tsi enionkeniia'ta'kerà:na' tsi niió:re ne thiio'kéha tsi wahskóhon tánon' entiakeniié:na' thí:ken wahskóhon kanawa'áhtote'. Thia'akeníhewe' ki' tsi tho nikontiiéhrhahkwe' ne thí:ken' tiotí:ien's. Tsi nek tióhton nitionkeniién:tahkwe', iah kwah thia'teiontianonhtonniónhon tsi ní:tsi wa'atiatenonión:ni'. Wa'atiate'nikonhrísa' ki' tsi eniatiate'nikonhró:ri' tsi ní:ioht tsi nikóntiehrhahkwe' ne kontihsótshera'. Thò:ne ki' ia'tiatiani'tsónhkwahkwe' tánon' iosnó:re' wa'onkeniia'ta'kerà:na'. Ia'onkeniia'ténhawe' wáhi thí:ken iohná:wate'. Wá:tonskwe' aiatiatá:wen' nek tsi iohnawatehtòn:ne' ne kaniataratátie' tánon' iah kwah thahsatatia'takéhnha' naiá:wen' ahsahná:wenhte'.
Akwé:kon' ion'wesénhne' ken' nikarihwésha tsi niió:re ahskwákta wa'ákenewe'. Shé:kon kè:iahre' tsi niió:re wa'tewakehnhíhseron' sha'káttoke' tsi iah othé:nen tekaién:tahkwe' ne taionkení:tahste'. Iotkà:te' wahonnì:ron' nón:kwe tsi ióthteron tóka' ísi' nónhskwati iénhse' ase'kénh é:so iohnekatá:se' eh nón:we. Tha'katierénhstsi', tha'tewakehnhíhseronskwe' tsi niió:re wahskóhon tsi kanawa'áhtote' ia'ákenewe' tánon' kè:iahre' ia'tkanéntshetste' tsi iotahskwatátie' aontatié:na', nek tsi iah otokèn:'en' ákta teiákene'skwe' ne ken' na'tekenéntshesha iakaníhara'ne' thí:ken kanawa'áhtote'. Kháre' ó:nen, ok nahò:ten' tatié:na' kanón:wakon, ok nahò:ten' tsi iottátie', kwah í:kehre'. Ok tha'ón:ni', wa'tewake'tháhrho' ki' ne nahò:ten tatié:na' ok énska takheié:na' nontiátshi shiiakoia'ta'kerà:ne'. Takheiatiénawahste' ki' nek tsi iah othé:nen ísi' nón:we teskè:iahre'. Kwah iah se' ò:ni' teskè:iahre' tsi ní:tsi thiiò:ke ietsónkeno. Iah othé:nen tekè:iahre' tsi wa'kató:ko'. Aionkenihé:ion, tha'teiakenitsá:ron.
Tkehtáhkhwa' se' tsi Onkwahsótshera' wa'onkeniia'takéhnha', orihwí:io. Wa'onkhí:ion' nahò:ten' ne taionkení:tahste' tsi ionkeniia'ta'kerà:ne' iontiatohetstonhátie' tsi waskóhon tsi niió:re tsi iohnekatá:se'. Tóka' nòn:wa akhsótha' nen' nè:'e, tóka' nòn:wa akhsótha' teiohsotsherá:ne nen' nè:'e.
Ok ní:tsi thiiò:ke ionsaiákenewe'. Shé:kon nòn:wa, wakenekhé:rens eh nahò:ten'. Kwah iah othé:nen té:kare' ne tsi ní:tsi kè:iahre' ne tsi niiawénhseron ohnà:ken shontakheié:na' nontiátshi.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde