Movements
A certificate given to Mary Canadian by the Council of the Tribes. (Courtesy: Joe Canadian)
Story told by Só:se Raientonnis
Chief Thunderwater started a movement, the Council of the Tribes in 1914. He was a Tuscarora from Buffalo, New York. Tuscarora is the furthest west of the Six Nations.
He came here to Kahnawà:ke twice, which wasn’t easy back in those days. You had to take a train - there were no airlines operating.
He had three main goals, that man. He wanted better housing, better education system and better medical care for Indian people. We had a deplorable past, you wouldn’t believe how terrible it was.
Thunderwater was collecting money for that purpose. The government interfered when they saw that he was gaining a following. If they were funding the organization, then they could control him. Since they couldn’t control him, they had to destroy him.
The government stopped him by issuing slander against him, spreading the word that he wasn’t an Indian at all and encouraging his members to quit. In other words, they pounded him into the dirt. Some people believed it and dropped out, some didn’t.
The federal government announced that only they can take care of the Indian people here, not him.
My uncle George’s wife, Mary Canadian, was issued a membership certificate from the Council of the Tribes in 1916.
This group lasted until about 1920 and then it gradually dissolved. And he himself lived until 1950, dying at 85 or 86 years of age.
After the Council of the Tribes dissolved, another movement started up without government funding. It was the North American Indian Brotherhood, led by Andrew Paull. He was Salish from BC.
I heard at least one of his speeches at Kateri Hall here in Kahnawà:ke. They were talking about pretty much the same things as Thunderwater - better housing, better living conditions, job opportunities.
Job opportunities were important because a lot of businesses from Montreal would not hire anybody from here. They would give some kind of reason, but it was really because of rampant discrimination.
When the original founders of the North American Indian Brotherhood passed away, it evolved into what we have today, the Assembly of First Nations with government funded, elected leaders. Before, our people didn’t know what an election was, and they could see no reason why there should be an election if the clan mothers agreed to a certain man.
There was another group in the United States who had some chapters here in Canada, most notably in Alberta, called the American Indian Movement or AIM. That too was not government funded. The goal of AIM was to correct injustices that were being heaped upon Indian People.
One of the founders and leaders of AIM lived here for a while, in my house. His name was Vernon Bellecourt. I gave him a room just long enough for him to get some business done around here, about a month roughly. He was one of the founders, along with Russell Means who came from that reserve in South Dakota - Pine Ridge.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Tkanenhrakétskwen
A certificate given to Angus M. Canadian classifying them as a member of the North American Indian Brotherhood. (Courtesy: Joe Canadian)
Só:se Raientonnis ROKÁ:RATON
Tahanenhrakétsko' ne Roiá:ner Thunderwater, néne Council of the Tribes 1914 shiiohserá:te'. Rataskaró:ra nahaia'to'ténhne' Buffalo, New York nithawenónhne'. Tuscarora nen' nè:'e ne naonhà:'a tsi ia'tewatshóthos nonkwá:ti tkaná:taien' néne Rotinonhsión:ni tsi nihonatenatakè:ron. Tékeni tehokwáthon kèn:tho Kahnawà:ke, iah kwah tho tewatiesénhne' ne tho tewenhniseraténion. Ó:nenk tsi' thio'kéha enhsatíta' - iah othé:nen teká:tens teiotiohkwaién:tahkwe'.
Áhsen nikahwè:tsake kaia'takwe'ní:io's roién:tahkwe', thí:ken rón:kwe. Wahahská:neke' ne sénha kanonhsí:io's ahotinonhsó:take', sénha waterihwaienstahtsherí:io aontenonwahtén:ti' tánon' sénha kahsniehtsherí:io taiakóhsnie'ne' ne Onkwahón:we. Ioteha'tòn:ne' tsi ní:tsi tiónhnhehkwe' ne wahón:nise', kwah iah thaontahséhtahkwe' tsi na'teiotenonhianihtòn:ne'.
Wahahwistarò:roke' ne Thunderwater ne ki' ne eh nón:we aorihwà:ke. Kakoráhsera' wahonwaió'tatshe' shahotitó:kenhse' tsi taioterohronhatie' tsi nihonèn:ra'. Tóka' ronónha enhshakotihwíston' ne anitiohkónnia, sok ki' enwá:ton' enthonwaniarotáhrhoke'. Tsi iah teiotòn:'on aontahonwaniarotáhrhoke', ó:nen'k ki' tsi wahonwahsennaratsón:ko'.
Wa'thonwá:tahste' ne kakoráhsera' tsi wahonwahsennáksa'te', wa'thatirihwaiéntho' tsi iah kwah tó:kenske tehronkwehón:we tánon' wahshakotì:reke' raonèn:ra' aonsahonnenhraiestáhsi'. Né: nó:ia' ní:tsi aia'ì:ron', kwah wahonwa'kenhrà:'ehste'. Ótia'ke taiakéhtahkwe' eh nahò:ten' tánon' saiontia'tará:ko', ótia'ke iáhten.
Tahatirihó:wanahte' ne kakakorahserakwe'ní:io tsi nek tehshakotíhsnie' ne Onkwehón:we ne kèn:tho, iah ne raonha.
Né: rakenonhà:'a ró:ne, Mary Canadian, wahshakotihiatónhseron' iontia'taráhkhwa' kahiatónhsera' ne Council of the Tribes ne 1916 shiiohserahserá:te'.
Tsi niió:re ákta ne 1920 kanenhratátiene' kí:ken sok skenen'shòn:'a sonteríhsi'. Tánon' sahatonhnhahtén:ti' raónha tsi niió:re 1950, 85 tóka' ni' 86 shiè:ro wahrénheie'.
Ohna'kèn:ke shonsonteríhsi' ne Council of the Tribes, ó:ia' wáhi tontontenenhrakétsko' néne iah othé:nen tehshakotihwistawihátie' ne kakoráhsera'. North American Indian Brotherhood nen' nè:'e, Andrew Paul nohén:ton ì:rate'. Salish nahaia'tò:ten' ne BC nithawé:non.
Ará:ne énska onkwathón:te'ne' tsi ratá:tis ne Katerí Tsi Iontia'tarohrókstha' ne Kahnawà:ke. Kwah thóha nè:'e sha'karì:wa's rotihtharáhkwen tsi ní:ioht ne Thunderwater - sénha kanonhsí:io's ahotinonhsó:take', sénha ioiánere' tsi ní:tsi ahonnónhnheke', sénha é:so ahotiio'tenhseraién:take'.
É:so tsi iorihowanèn:ne' ne kaio'ténhsera' aieié:na' ase'kénh é:so ronatenhninonhseró:ton ne Tiohtià:ke iah ónhka thahshakotíhnha'ne' ne ken' ienákere'. Ok ní:ioht enhonterihwakèn:serahkwe' nek tsi ne ki' nè:'e norihwiiohón:we tsi teiotenonhianíhton tsi nihonatkenhronnia'tskòn:ne'.
Shahontóhetste' ne thonatierénhton rotíhson' ne North American Indian Brotherhood, eh tho nionsaiá:wen' ne nahò:ten' nòn:wa tsonkwá:ien', Assembly of First Nations ne kakoráhsera' shakotihwistá:wis, ohén:ton tehshakotitáhstha'. Nohén:ton, iah othé:nen tehatiienteríhne' nontionkwe'ta'shòn:'a nahò:ten' ne anitiohkwakénnion tánon' iah othé:nen orì:wa' tehontkáhthos neh aonterihwahtén:ti' tóka' sha'teiotirihwanonhwè:'on ne konti'nisténhsera' ne raia'tató:ken tahonwá:tahste'.
Thikanèn:rate' kaién:tahkwe' ne Wastonhronòn:ke tánon' tohkára nihotinenhraién:ton ken' nonkwá:ti Koráhne, sénha tsi nonkwá:ti ne Alberta, American Indian Movement tóka' ni' AIM ronwatina'tónhkhwa'. Iah kakoráhsera' tehshakotihwistá:wis ò:ni' ne thí:ken. Kwah nè:'e tehotirihwáien' ne AIM ne aonsahatikwatá:ko' tsi ní:kon sewaterihwate'wáhton ronani'toniotá:n' ne Onkwehonwe'shòn:'a.
Shaià:ta ne thonatierénhton rotinenhríson' tánon' ohén:ton rón:nete' ne AIM ken' nikarì:wes kèn:tho ren'terón:tahkwe', tsi tewakenónhsote'. Vernon Bellecourt ronwá:iatskwe'. Wahinákton' kwah ia'tekaié:ri tsi nikarì:wes wahó:ton'se' tohkára niiorì:wake wahakwé:ni' waharihontá:ko' ne kén:tho, tóka' sewenhnì:ta. Eh raia'tarátie' ne rotinenhríson', skáthne ne Russell Means néne South Dakota – Pine Ridge tsi kanonstá:ton nithawé:non.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde