Life in the big garden
A farmer tending to his fields in Kahnawà:ke, circa 1910. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Susan and Shirley Simon
Shirley: Growing up, we had a big garden in the summertime. We grew so many fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, apples, potatoes, carrots, beets, Indian corn, tomatoes.
Susan: It was our father’s father’s property in Kanehsatà:ke. Because our father was an only child, he got the whole property.
Shirley: Our father had two horses that would use the plow to make the rows for the potatoes. We had chickens too and a cow.
We had a basement downstairs where we stored all the potatoes and root vegetables. Our father had a potato pit that was mixed with earth and sand.
Susan: All winter long, we had so much food.
Two girls pose in their family's garden. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Shirley: Our mother, she used to make a lot of jams, pickles, preserves, ketchup, all that stuff you can put in jars. We would help her when we were old enough. In the spring, we used to do maple syrup too. We used to gather up the maple water.
We would also help with planting and harvesting. When you plant tomatoes and they get big, there are these large kinds of green caterpillars that get on them and eat the leaves. They’d be hiding under the leaf or whatever. We’d have to pick them off the tomatoes. That was scary.
Susan: What about the potato bugs? We’d have to go get them off the plants too.
Shirley: Yeah, we had a pail and a little scoop and you’d knock the plant to gather up the potato bugs. We’d also weed in the summertime for a couple hours and then they’d let us go swimming just for a little while down the hill.
For the corn, our father used to put a tarp or maybe it was some sand over top of it.
Susan: Yeah, so that the birds don’t take off with them. They would try to dig it out from the soil. So he would do that to protect the kernels. That was native corn, they call it “Indian corn”. You can use a tool to take the corns off. There’s a special way to break the kernel.
Shirley: It has to be real dry first before you can do that. He would save some of the kernels to plant the next year and he’d sell some too.
Susan: He would get people to come over to husk the corn. We called in husking time. They’d come over, it was like a party time.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Tsi niieiéhrha' kahehtowanèn:ne
Mike Day and Tom Paul out on the farm with their livestock. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Susan and Shirley Simon IAKOKÁ:RATON
Shirley: Shiwakatehiahróntie', ionkwahehtowanèn:ne' nakenhnhà:ke. É:so káhi' tánon' ase'shòn:'a ionkwaiénthon. Ken' niiohontésha, sewahió:wane', ohnennà:ta', rakarót, otsihkwakáhte', Onenhstehón:we.
Susan: Shonkeni'níha raotonhóntsa' kénhne' ne Kanehsatà:ke. Tsi iah tehotate'kèn:shen ne shonkeni'níha, kwah tiokwékton tsi niwatonhóntsa' wahoién:ta'ne'.
Shirley: Tékeni tehonahskwaién:tahkwe' akohsá:tens ne shonkeni'níha kwah enkeni'tarakahrhátho' entiathahón:ni' ne ohnennà:ta' akaiénthon.
Onhontsó:kon ionkwaién:tahkwe' ne ehtà:ke nonkwá:ti, tho nón:we iakwaientáhkhwa' ne ohnennà:ta' tánon' nia'tekatsíhkwake. Ohnennà:ta' rothsonión:ni ne shonkeni'níha o'kèn:ra' tánon' o'nehsarónhkwa' tekaiéhston.
Susan: É:so ionkwakhwaién:tahkwe' tsi niióhseres.
Shirley: Né: iakhi'nisténha, é:so wà:io, teionon'onserahiò:tsis, wastè:ton, ohiakháhon oshè:rha', kwah akwé:kon nahò:ten' katshè:takon enhséta' nè:'e eniakón:ni'. Wa'akhisnié:nen' sha'akenohseraié:rite'. Kakwitè:ne shikahá:wis, wáhta óshes ò:ni' eniatión:ni'. Wáhta orontákeri eniakwahnekarò:roke'.
Eniakhisnié:nen' ò:ni' eniakeniiéntho' tánon' eniakeniienthó:ko'. Nó:nen enhsiéntho' ohiakháhon tánon' enkontikowáhnha', ken' nikonní'ta's ohwhará:ne enkontirá:ta'ne' tánon' enkontineráhtake'. Onerahtó:kon enkontáhsehte' arenhátien ki'. Eniakhiià:tenhte' ohiakhahon'kéhshon. Tó:kenske iothteronhtòn:ne'.
Susan: Ok ne kontihnenna'takárias? Eniakenitsi'nón:wenhte' no'onwara'kéhshon ò:ni'.
Shirley: Hen, ionkwana'tsaién:tahkwe' tánon' ken' niwà:'a ietsenhtáhkhwa' tánon' eniakeni'onwarà:'eke' tsi eniakenitsi'nón:wenhte' kontihnenna'takárias. Eniatiathontahrá:ko' ò:ni' nakenhnhà:ke tohkára nenkahwistà:'eke' sok enionkhiríhon' aiatiatawénha' ken'k nikarì:wes onón:takon.
Ok ne ó:nenhste', ie'rhorókstha' èn:ratste' tsi enha'rhó:roke' ne shonkeni'níha tóka' ni' ken'k ní:kon o'nehsarónhkwa' è:neken entháweron'.
Susan: Hen, né: ki' tóhsa iakontíhawe' notsi'ten'okòn:'a. Enkonte'nién:ten' akonnó'kwate' o'kenhró:kon. Tho ki' nenhá:iere' ne ahanónhstate' nó:nenhste'. Onenhstehón:we nen' nè:'e, "Onkwehón:we akó:nenhste'" iena'tónhkhwa'. Enwá:ton' iontstáhkhwa énhsatste' nahsenenhstarón:ko'. Kaweiennató:ken ká:ien' ne taienénhstia'ke'.
Shirley: Ó:nen'k tsi kwah tokèn:'en eniostathénhake' ohén:ton eh nénhsiere'. Ken'k nikanénhstake' enhá:wenre' néne enióhserate' ahaiéntho' tánon ahatenhní:non' ò:ni'.
Susan: Entehshakoia'ténhawe' nón:kwe ne ahatinoróhtshi'. Tsi niienoróhtshions nikahá:wi wahanà:tonhkwe'. Enthón:ne', kwah tsi ní:ioht ne watonhnhahrátie'.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde