Little pigs
Map of Cornwall Island as surveyed by W.A. Austin in 1884. Cornwall Island is part of the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve. (Courtesy: Library and Archives Canada)
Story told by Kateri Deer
We grew up on Cornwall Island, that’s where we went to school. We had a farm and on the farm we had little pigs.
The mother pig had 10 babies with one black one in the litter. She didn’t like him, she would kick him around. So my father came with this little guy and said, “I have a job for you - you need to feed him.”
He says, “Because his mother doesn’t want him, I have to separate him from the others because she won’t feed him.”
So we had a little baby bottle with milk. After we started feeding him he would follow us around like a little dog. When he was big enough to have him slaughtered, my dad asked his friend to do it.
The deal was my dad’s friend gets half of the pig, that’s the payment. He told his friend, “I can’t do it in front of my girls, they won’t eat it”.
In those days, what you got on your farm for the most part was what you would eat. When the man came to pick up the pig we were both crying.
Kanien'kéha
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Kanien'kéha ↓
Kwéskwes owí:ra’
Kateri Deer iakoká:raton
Kawehnò:ke tiontiatehià:ron, tho ki’ nón:we iontiaterihwaiensta’nónhne’. Ionkwahehtaién:tahkwe’ tánon’ kwéskwes owí:ra’ ionkwanáhskwaien’.
Né:ne kwéskwes owí:ra’ oti’nisténha oié:ri nihá:ti ontéwe’ton’, shaià:ta rahòn:tsi. Iah tehononhwè:’on, thia’tetiorahsenthó:ton sok rake’níha tahoia’ténhawe’ kí:ken kwéskwes owí:ra’ tánon’ wahèn:ron’, “Wa’keniio’ténhseron’ – ó:nen’k tsi entshisení:nonte’ kí:ken kwéskwes owí:ra’.”
Rá:ton, “Iah tha’tehotonhontsó:ni ne ro’nisténha, ó:nen’k tsi tenkhekháhsi’ ne ronátia’ke’ ne tsi iah thahó:nonte’ ne rahòn:tsi.”
Owirà:’a akótshe’ wa’átiatste’ wahshakení:nonte’ ne kwéskwes. Tsi ó:nen taiatiatáhsawen’ ahshakení:nonte’ tho ní:tsi shonkenihnhonterátie’s tsi ní:ioht ne è:rhar. Tsi ó:nen iekaié:ri tsi nahatehià:ron’, rake’níha wahori’wanón:tonhse’ ne ronatén:ro enhathón:tate’ ken ahonia’tó:’a’se’ ne kwéskwes.
Tsi ní:tsi wahiaterihwahserón:ni’ enhório’ ne kwéskwes tánon’ ahsén:nen tenhní:ia’ke’, ahsén:nen raónha raotshé:nen tánon’ ahsén:nen ne rake’niha. Wahohró:ri’ ne ronatén:ro, “Iah thaón:ton’ kheien’okòn:’a aotihén:ton ahírio’ ne tsi iah thakeni’wà:rake’.”
Ne tho nón: shontakahá:wi tsi nahò:ten’ saienthóhseron ne ki’ énseweke’. Tsi ó:nen tahohnónkhsa’ ne onkenitshé:nen kwéskwes tetsá:ron tho ia’teiatiashénthos.
Translation by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette