Making lacrosse sticks
Team photo of the Caughnawaga Indian Lacrosse Club in 1867. Team manager, Jean Baptiste Rice, stands third from left in the back row. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by June Mayo
I love lacrosse. Even now, today.
My husband Jimmy used to make lacrosse sticks. It was a lot of work.
There was a show at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal a while ago. It was an exhibition on things Mohawks made, like lacrosse sticks or basket weaving.
The men who came to see the show were interested in how Jimmy made those sticks.
He told them that he went into the bush to cut down the right tree - hickory. Hickory has one of the hardest woods.
He then would put the stick in water to make it pliable and then used his knee to pull it to form a cane.
Then he let that dry, he stripped down bark and let it dry again.
I forget how long it took him to make one stick but it was a lot of work.
I used to tell him not to tell people everything because the next thing you know, they’ll take your idea away and they have the machines that do it even faster.
He used to take the sticks all the way to BC. He used to go every year and would stay three months. He would sell fish there too - $3000 he would make.
Some people found out how much he makes and how he didn’t pay tax on it, because there’s no tax on the reserve.
They said, “You can’t sell your sticks here anymore.”
And so he said, “Oh yeah? Who’s gonna stop me? Walk away, these sticks hurt when you get hit.”
Kanien'kéha version
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Kanien'kéha version ↓
Teionttsihkwa’ékstha’ ra’nhión:ni
June’s late husband, Jimmy Flo McComber (right), poses next to his friend Belsoj Tarbell (left) after a lacrosse game. (Courtesy: Victoria Queenie McComber)
June Mayo Iakoká:raton
Kenorónhkhwa’ ne tewa’á:raton. Shé:kon nòn:wa.
Tiakenì:teron Jimmy teionttsihkwa’ékstha’ shes ra’nhión:ni. É:so tsi kaio’tenhserowá:nen.
Ken’ náhe’ Olympic Stadium ne Tiohtià:ke wahonterihwahténtia’te’ ok nahò:ten’. Wahonterihwahténtia’te’ ne wahonnè:nehste’ tsi nahò:ten’ Kanien’kehá:ka ronnonniánions, tsi ní:ioht ne teionttsihkwa’ékstha’ kà:nhien tóka’ ni’ ne aionta’therón:ni’.
Tsi niká:ien’ ronnón:kwe thoné:non tsi ioterihwahténtion thoti’nikonhratihénthos ne oh ní:tsi Jimmy waha’nhión:ni’ thí:ken teionttsihkwa’ékstha’ kà:nhien.
Wahshakohró:ri’ tsi ia’thatehrháhwe’ehste’ wahakwíria’ke’ ne tkakwiraié:ri – onennóhkara’. Né: aonhà:’a tioientahní:ron onennóhkara’.
Eh thó:ner tsi teiohnekóntie’s ienhaná:karohwe’ ne aha’nhétskahte’ tahahsà:kete’ sok rakwitshà:ke èn:ratste’ enthatihéntho’ ahaieron’tón:ni’ tsi ní:ioht ne atèn:nits.
Eh thó:ne enhastátha’te’, enhana’watsístenhte’ sok enshastátha’te’ á:re.
Sonke’nikónhrhen’ tó: nikarì:wes tsi niió:re’ énska enha’nhísa’ nek tsi kaio’tenhserowá:nen ki’ nen’ nè:’e.
Rihró:ri shes tóhsa akwé:kon ahshakohró:ri’ né: tsi wa’ts khók, ienhatíhawe’ tsi nahò:ten’ saterien’tatshénrion tánon’ masín enhotiién:take’ ne ísi’ nón: niiosnó:re’ ne tho naká:iere’.
Ienhanakarénhawe’ shes akwah tsi niió:re’ BC. Thia’teiohserá:ke shes iehréhtha’ tánon’ áhsen niwenhnì:take tho enthrè:sheke’. Áhsen niiohsénhserote’ nenhathwistón:ni’.
Ótia’ke onkwehshòn:’a wa’akotó:kenhse’ tó: ní:kon tehatén:tshas tánon’ tsi iah tehakária’ks ne iohwistawénhte’, ase’kénh tsi kanonhstá:ton iah teká:ien’ ne iohwistawénhte’.
Wahonnì:ron’, “Iah thaón:ton’ kèn:’en aonsahsate’nhahní:non’.”
Ne káti’ tahèn:ron’, “Á:, ken? Ónhka káti’ teniónktahste’? É:ren íseweht, iononhwákte’ nó:nen tensewáhkwa’te’ kí:ken kà:nhien.”
Translated by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette