Made it work
Robert Diabo and his wife Estelle Diabo on vacation. (Courtesy: Aaron McComber)
Story told by Robert Diabo
…It’s hard for a guy with a family to leave behind. Like in New York, a lot of guys brought their families to stay there.
We had Little Caughnawaga in Brooklyn. They called it that because there were so many Indians from Kahnawà:ke living in one district. Detroit had the same thing. There were a whole bunch of us living there.
Back then it was a long 12-hour drive to and from town because they didn’t have the highways, thruway, or the northway like today.
After they made the highways, New York was 12 hours, then later it became 9 hours and now you can get there in six.
We made it work and would come back from Detroit for Christmas and summertime. But it got to a point that there were a lot of guys from town who would come back every weekend, right from work.
We would finish at 4:30 p.m., pile into the car without even washing our faces. We wanted to leave as soon as we could because even with the new highways you always hit traffic around Toronto. We would get back probably around three in the morning.
Sunday was cornbread and steak and then we left, travel all night, straight to the job, and start working when you got there.
You would try to spend less time resting to have more time here. We were always tired.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Ok ní:ioht tsi wa'akwakwé:ni'
A young Robert Diabo's school photo while attending Tekakwith School. (Courtesy: Aaron McComber)
ROBERT DIABO ROKÁ:RATON
...Wentó:re' ne rón:kwe kheh aontahshakótka'we' raohwá:tsire'. Tsi ní:ioht ne Kanón:no, é:so rá:ti ronnón:kwe iahshakotiia'ténhawe' raotihwá:tsire' nahati'terón:take' eh tho.
Ionkwaién:tahkwe' Ken' Niwà:'a Kahnawà:ke ne Brooklyn nonkwá:ti. Nè:'e wahatinà:tonhkwe' ase'kén é:so rá:ti onkwehón:we ne Kahnawà:ke nithoné:non énska tsi nón:we thati'terón:tahkwe' eh tho. Kwah nè:'e sha'tiá:wen' ne Tiohsahróntion. É:so iátion eh nón:we tiakwen'terón:tahkwe'.
Kwah karì:wes 12 nenkahwistà:'eke' enhsató:ri' tsi tenhsáterahte' eh nón:we tánon' Kahnawà:ke eh shitkahá:wi ase'kén iah tehotihahaién:tahkwe' thí:ken iohahowá:nen's, teiotohétston iohá:te', tóka' ni' thí:ken othore'kéha teiotohétston iohá:te' tsi ní:ioht ne òn:wa wenhniserá:te'.
Ohnà:ken shahatihonniánion', 12 nikahwistà:'eks tsi niiohahesòn:ne' ne Kanón:no iá:ionwe', sok 9 són:ton' tánon' 6 ionsón:ton' nòn:wa neh iáhsewe'.
Ok ní:ioht tsi wa'akwakwé:ni' thí:ken tánon' iotkà:te' shos Tiohsahróntion na'tentiákwe' ne Rotón:ni nikahá:wi tánon' nakenhnhà:ke. Nek tsi tho nionsaiá:wen' é:so rá:ti ronnón:kwe Kahnawa'kehró:non iotkà:te' shos tenthón:ne' tió:konte' shontiahia'khsero'ktaníhon', kheh nó:nen enshotiio'tenhsión:ko'.
4:30 shos eniakwáhsa', ka'seréhtakon tentiakwà:ra'ne' kwah shé:kon áre'kho teionkwatkonhsóhare'. Wa'askwaská:neke aonsaiakwahtén:ti' tsi niiosnó:re' enwá:ton ase'kén aronhátien tsi ohahasé'stsi's rotihahonniánion, tió:konte' ensonkwè:ne'ne' ohahà:ke aktóntie' Aterónto. Entsákwawe' tóka' nòn:wa aktóntie' 3 niiohwistà:'e nohrhon'kéhstsi.
Awentatokenhtì:ke' kana'tarokhón:we shos eniákweke' tánon' tiohrhónskwaron watè:skonte' sok entsakwahtén:ti', ahsontakwé:kon teniakwatstikáhwha', kheh tentsakwaio'tenhseróia'ke', tánon' óksa'k entsonkwaió'ten' nó:nen ientsákwawe'.
Enhsate'nién:ten' ki' wáhi ne ká:ron nenhsatoríshen' naón:ton' sénha aiesanaktó:take' ken' nón:we. Tió:konte' teionkwahwihsenheiòn:ne'.
Edited by: Aaron McComber, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde