Don’t forget your language
Charlotte Bush, a teacher at the Federal Indian Tekakwitha School - also known as Kateri Indian Day School - in Kahnawake, teaches her students about the story of Kateri Tekakwitha. (Courtesy: Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Joe Jacobs
On this whole street, the language was all that was spoken.
So in the house, we only spoke the language. That was until we started Kateri Indian Day School. My siblings and I all went, and slowly, the language started to break up, even with the youngest in the family.
If you wanted to continue your education, you would have to go off the rez. And for the rest of us here, we were so damn in a hurry to get out of that elementary school after what was going on. We were hit for nothing, and different things. It kind of makes you not want to continue your education.
You forget the words. We’ve always spoken the language and then you forget.
My grandmother’s sister was always saying in the language, ‘Tóhsa sasa’nikónhrhen tsi nihsewennò:ten,’ which means ‘Don’t forget your language.’
Throughout the years, for myself, I started to pick it up a little bit again. But there’s a lot of words I don’t know. I can’t read or write the language.
Tóhsa sasa’nikónhrhen tsi nihsewennò:ten’
Carol Boyer Jacobs, Joe Jacobs’ wife, is pictured with her first grade class at the Kateri Indian Day School. She sits in the third row, fifth to the right. Picture was taken around 1966. (Courtesy: Carol Boyer Jacobs)
Joe Jacobs roká:raton
Ken’ nón: niiohatátie’ nek ié:ken Kanien’kéha rontá:tiskwe’.
Né: káti’ ne kanónhskon, Kanien’kéha khók iakwatá:ti. Tho ki’ niiohtòn:ne tsi niió:re taiakwatáhsawen’ ne Katerí: Indian Day School. Iakwatate’ken’okòn:’a akwé:kon ionkwaterihwaiensta’nónhne’, tánon’ kwah skenna’shòn:’a wa’onkwawennón:ti’. Akwé:kon ni’ nen’ nè:’e ne o’nisóhkwa’.
Tóka’ sé:ron iahsatahsónteren’ tsi saterihwaiénstha’, teiotonhontsóhon ahsahtén:ti’ ne tsi kanonhstá:ton. Nok tsi niiátion ne kèn:’en ionkwatatén:ron, ótsta’ tsi na’teionkwahsteríhens aiakwahtén:ti’ thí:ken elementary tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa’. Né: tsi niiawen’hátiene’.
Sewatierenhkó:wa wa’onkhírio’, tánon’ ó:ia nahò:ten’ ò:ni’. Kwah né:ne tóka’ iah thahséhrheke’ ahsaterihwaiénsthake’.
Entsisa’nikónhrhen’ nowenna’shòn:’a. Tiótkon shiiakwahrónkha’ sok ki’ entsisa’nikónhrhen’.
Akhsótha tiatate’kèn:’a tiótkon Kanien’kéha iontewennontáhkhwa’ ión:ton, “Tóhsa sasa’nikónhrhen’ tsi nihsewennò:ten’”.
Tsi niiohseré:sons, ne ì:’i akerihwà:ke, takatáhsawen’ ostón:ha tonsá:kehkwe’ ne akewén:na. Nek tsi é:so kawén:nake iah tekewennaienté:ri. Iah thakkwé:ni’ akewennahnó:ten’ tóka’ ni’ akhiá:ton’ tsi nitewawennò:ten’.
Translation by: Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette