My mom

Amelia’s parents, Sarah Karihwaiéhne McComber and Wilfred Joseph Beauvais, married on September 24, 1946. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

Story told by Amelia McGregor

My Mom was not 60 years old when she passed away from an accident that she had with my father, a car accident. 

She was determined, because my father was getting older, that she needed to have a driver’s license. And she never had one, it was always my father that drove us everywhere.

Back then, you didn’t have to go through classes on how to drive. It was just strictly that you went and got your driver’s licence when you’re old enough, and that’s it.

When she got the driver’s licence, there was black ice in the wintertime. Right at Lafleur’s Golf Club on the 207. Every time I passed by there I remember.

They hit black ice and she was driving. Of course, she had no experience driving in winter. The car went into a spin and they hit a telephone pole across the road. She broke her arm. And at the same time, she was diabetic.

I went to the emergency at the Lachine Hospital. I just pretended that I was passing in front of the door of the emergency. It had that crank, so the door closes, but it closes slowly. I could see her laying there, with her arm on the operating table, and there was blood all over the floor. There were bandages all over the place and she was crying.

She was saying, “Please help me. My arm hurts so much. Do something, fix it.”

Amelia’s mother, Sarah Karihwaiéhne McComber, holds a set of pots and pans. Taken in the 1980s. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

When they came out, the doctors didn’t realize it was me standing there watching. I pretended to be passing by very slowly.

As they were walking, I was walking behind them.

They said that her arm was badly mutilated and it was severely severed. And I know what that means. So I was expecting her arm to be amputated.

To our surprise, they put it in a cast. So when we went to see her, there was a cast on her arm in an L position, so she couldn’t bend her elbow. It was a cast all the way from close to her shoulder to where her fingers start on her hand. It was attached to the end of her bed so her arm was always in that position. And they would turn it on its side sometimes just to give her a break.

Joe, he’s got a good nose for things. Right away he says, “There’s something wrong because I could smell her arm…”

We went back to the hospital the next day and talked to the nurses and said, “There’s something wrong with her because her arm smells funny.”

They said, “Gangrene is starting to set in her arm. We had to make holes in her cast to try to stop it from turning completely gangrene.”

The nurses used to like my mother because even though her arm was in a cast, they would just bring her a basin with water and soap, and she’d say “I’ll wash myself.”

Even in her dependence on somebody, she still insisted on doing things herself. Even with her arm in the cast, she still managed to do things.

She’d always comment on the people across the hall. She’d say, “I don’t know why they’re screaming.”

She’d ask the nurses, “Why are they screaming?”

The nurses would say, “We have to go there and do everything for them. We appreciate you.

You’ve only got one arm, and still you’re worried about other people, or you want to do things yourself.”

One of Amelia’s daughters, Kawisènte McGregor (right), fastens a flower corsage on her grandmother, Sarah Karihwaiéhne McComber, while her younger sister, Katsi’tsanó:ron McGregor (left), attentively watches. Taken during one of the family’s many hospital visits in 1988. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

She was always a model patient. They even had yarn, and they made her a gold medal out of yellow paper, and they put “Best Patient Ever.”

That was my role model.

The doctor asked her, “What do you wanna do?”

She said, “I wanna go home to my house, and my family and my kids.” She hadn’t seen them.

Two days after she came home, we went shopping and she bought all kinds of groceries to fill the fridge.

That night, it was a Friday night, I was across the lawn at my sister-in-law’s house. When I was coming back, it was a beautiful, beautiful moon. A full moon, almost. And you could see in the dark. As I was walking back towards the house, the living room curtains were open, because I guess she was waiting for me to come back, and I saw her through the window. I could see her cast on her arm, that’s why I knew she was standing there, because the full moon reflected on her cast.

When I went in the house, I said, “Hey.”

I talked to her in Mohawk, and I said, “How come you’re still awake? You should be sleeping by now.”

And she said in Mohawk, “I’m just so happy to be home, that I can see the kids.”

Then she went to sleep with my father. They took our bedroom and they went to sleep.

My father, he had a rough English. He came running down in the morning and, he says, “Something happened to your mother.”

I ran upstairs and I went, and sure enough, she was cold. Passed away during the night. And that’s the last thing she said: she was so happy to be home.

She was my role model. All the nurses that she had at the hospital, the doctor, everybody that knew her while she was in the hospital, they all came to see her, because they wanted to pay their last respects to a person that was such a role model.

She was in the hospital, never a complaint. Never asked for anything that was beyond, and if she could do it herself, she would. That’s part of what I have in me as DNA.

But, being nosey, she had the cast on her arm, and we asked the undertaker for a favour. I said, “She’s been having that thing from January to June. Can you do her a favour and take it off her, so she doesn’t take that with her?”

And so they took the cast off her arm and put her arm in a plastic sleeve. Of course, she had her dress on and everything, so it covered it. But you could tell that she had a plastic sleeve.

Nobody was there, it was a quiet time.

Friends Marina and Merrick Goodleaf gift Sarah Karihwaiéhne McComber a card during her hospital stay. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

Around supper time, Joe and I were there. We were saying, “Jeez, I wonder what her arm looks like.”

Big mistake.

We lifted up the plastic. You know the movie Pirates of the Caribbean? You know when you see the sailors, and when the full moon shows them, their clothes are all raggedy, and all there is, is a skeleton?

That was what her arm looked like, but only it was all black.

I asked, “Why didn’t you amputate her arm?”

They said, “Because her sugar went crazy.”

So if they would’ve amputated her arm, they’d have to go up to her shoulder. And if they did, and she still had gangrene, where else would they be able to go? They had no choice.

She was screaming how badly her arm was hurting her. She still had some feeling in that arm.

That’s the only reason why they saved it.

I said, “You know she was gonna pass away, didn’t you? That’s why you let her come home.”

They said, “We didn’t know. Nobody knows.”

I said, “You knew. You’re just telling us that so we don’t sue you. But we’re not gonna sue you. You did the best you could. We’re just curious to know if you had any idea of how long she had.”

They said, “You never know. Only Creator knows.”

Which is true.

Sarah Karihwaie’ne McComber stands outside her neighbour Billy McGregor’s home, accompanied by kids from the neighbourhood. Taken in the 1980s. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

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Ake’nisténha

Sarah Karihwaie’ne McComber (centre) links arms with friends Maggie Martin (left) and Joe Martin (right) outside Joe Martin’s blacksmith shop in town. Her husband, Wilfred Joseph Beauvais, stands on the far right. A visitor of the shop stands on the far left. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

Amelia McGregor iakoká:raton

Ake’nisténha iah tha’teiakaohseriià:kon ne 60 sha’ontóhetste’ wa’tie’nióhsken’ne’ wa’íheie’, tahnirontó:ka’te’ tsi iontó:ri ne kà:sere.

Ia’teiako’nikonhrakontahkwèn:ne’, ase’kén rake’níha tahoienta’onhátiehkwe’, teiakotonhontsoníhne’ aiakoianerenhseraién:take’ aiontó:ri’. Iah nonwén:ton teiakoién:tahkwe’ nénska, tiótkon shes rake’níha wahshonkwaia’títa’ tsi’k nón:we.

Tsi náhe’, iah tha’teiotonhontsohòn:ne’ ahsateweienstà:na’ ahseweientéhta’ne’ nahsató:ri’. Nek ié:ken tsi tho ienháhse’ nok ensaianerenhseraién:ta’ne’ nahsató:ri’ nó:nen ia’tekaié:ri tsi nitisá:ien, tánon’ thok ní:konk.

Sha’akoianerenhseraién:ta’ne’ naiontó:ri’, tsi ní:ioht ne thieiowí:saken ohahà:ke ne ki’ ne kahòn:tsi nikawisò:ten’ iowiskwenhtahrhòn:ne’ nakohserà:ke nikahá:wi. Kwah tho Lafleur’s tsi teionhthenno’óktha’ ne tsi iohá:te ne 207. Tsi ní:kon tho takatóhetste’ sakehià:ra’ne’.

Iah tewè:ne tsi kawí:saien tahniwisó:ka’te’ tánon’ akáonha iontorihátie’. Iah thé: teweién:tehkwe’ ki’ wáhi naiontó:ri’ ne akohserà:ke nikahá:wis. Onttsi’nonwaténia’te’ ne kà:sere  sok ki’ tahnirontó:ka’te’ ísi’ na’ohátati tkarón:tote. Wa’ tiontenéntshia’ke’. Tánon’ ne sha’tekahá:wi, teiakonekwenhsatsikhè:tare nè:’e.

Tsi ió:to’kte’ ne Skaniatará:ti tsi tehshakotitsèn:tha’ niahá:ke’. Ok tha’kón:ni’ tsi kwah nek tewakatohetstonhátiene’ tsi kahnhokà:ronte ne tho. Ionekerenhétshonte, né: ká:ti’ enwatehnhó:ton’, nek tsi skenna’shòn:’a tsi ní:ioht.

Sarah Karihwaie’ne McComber is surrounded by three of her granddaughters. From left to right, Karihwaiénhne, Kahsennanó:ron and Kawisènte McComber. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

Wa’khé:ken’ tho ieia’tión:ni, tsi iontatia’tahrenà:tha’ tiakotenentsháhere, nok tsik nón:

ohson’karà:ke kanekwénhsare. Kwah tsi’k nón: kakehrón:tahkwe’ ne iontkentoráhkhwa’ tánon’teionshénthoskwe’.

Iontónhahkwe’, “Sathón:tat tatié:nawa’s. Niwakenentshawákhons. Tiok nà:tser, skwatá:ko.”

Shontahatiiá:ken’ne’ ne rontétsen’ts iah tehonattó:ken tsi í: nen’ nè:’e tho í:kete

wakaterohròn:ne’. Ok tha’kón:ni’ tsi skenna’shòn:’a tewakatohetstonhátiehkwe’.

Tsi rón:ne’, ohnà:ken khenonterátiene’.

Wahonnì:ron’ tsi teiotenonhianíhton tsi wa’tiotenentshakaré:wahte’ nok tsi akwah tekaià:khon.

Tánon’ wakaterièn:tare nahò:ten’ ne kén:ton. Wakehrhá:rehkwe’ ahshakotinéntshia’ke’.

Tha’akwatié:ren’k, ienentshà:ke wa’thati’tarawèn:’eke’. Né: ká:ti’ sha’akhiiatken’sè:ra’,

ienentshà:ke teken’tarawèn:’e tsi ní:ioht ne kahióhsote, oh naiá:wen’ iah thaón:ton’

taionthiohsà:kete’. Teken’tarawèn:’e ienenhsákta tsi niió:re ne iehsnonhsà:ke. Kanaktaktóntie’

teká:neren oh naiá:wen’ tóhsa aontorià:neron’ ne ienentshà:ke. Tánon’ sewatié:rens

enhonnorià:neron’ né:ne ahshakonorishéntho’se’.

Só:se, ra’nionhsí:io nè:’e. Kwah óksa’k wahèn:ron’, “Tiok ní:ioht ase’kén wakéhswens ne

Ienentshà:ke…”Tsi saióhrhen’ne’ tsi tehshakotitsèn:tha’ saiákwe’ tánon’ wa’tiakwahthá:ren’ ne tekóntshnie’

Wilfred Joseph Beauvais and Sarah Karihwaie’ne McComber captured together during a wedding held at The Knights Of Columbus in Kahnawake. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

tánon’ wa’akwèn:ron’, “Tiok niiakoià:tawen’s ase’kén ó:ia niwenserò:ten’ ne ienentshà:ke.”

Wahonnì:ron’, “Í:wehre’ aiótken’ ienentshà:ke. Ó:nen’k tsi wa’akwahrontónnion’ ne tsi

teken’tarawèn:’e ienentshà:ke taká:tahste’ ne akwah aiótken’.”

Né: tekóntshnie’ iakotinòn:we’s shes nake’nisténha ase’kén sá:ne teken’tarawèn:’e ienentshà:ke,

ón:ta tánon’ ononhwarè:tha’ eniakotihawíhten’, nok enia’ì:ron’ “Í: enkatatia’tóhare’.”

Arenhátien tsi iontateniahé:sen nónhka’k, shé:kon ieiakorihwà:re akaonhà:’ak tiok naióntiere’.

Arenhátien tsi teken’tarawèn:’e ienentshà:ke, shé:kon iakokwénion tiok naióntiere’.

Tió:konte tenhonwatiia’tó:rehte’ tsi nihá:ti sken’whá:rati thón:ne’s. Enia’ì:ron’, “Iah

tewakaterièn:tare oh nontié:ren tsi tehotihenréhtha’.”

Enhonwatiri’wanón:tonhse’ ne tekóntshnie’, “Oh nontié:ren tsi tehotihenréhtha’?”

Enkonnì:ron’ ne tekóntshnie’, “Ó:nen’k tsi tho ieniénkwe’ tánon’ akwé:kon eniakhiié:ra’se’.

Kwaia’tanorónhstha’. Ská:ti khók ióio’tens ne senentshà:ke, nok shé:kon she’nikòn:rare ne

ronátia’ke, tóka’ ni’ íhsehre’ sonhà:’ak tiok nahsátiere’.”

Tiótkon ienonwaweiénhen tsi tho ieià:tare. Akwé:kon karisé: rotiién:tahkwe’, tánon’

ohwistanó:ron’ iehwistaniiontáhkhwa’ wahshakonónnien’ ne otsì:nekwar nikahiatonhserò:ten’

wahonnónnia’te’, tánon’ wahatihiá:ton’ “Best Patient Ever”.

Akáonha nen’ nè:’e takheweiennanòn:we’ne’.

Wahshakori’wanón:tonhse’ ne ratétsen’ts, “Oh nahò:ten’ tesatonhontsó:ni náhsiere’?”

Wa’ì:ron’, “Tewakatonhontsó:ni aonsakahtén:ti’, aonsakhé:ken’ akhwá:tsire tánon’ kheien’okòn:’a.” Iah tehonwatí:ken.

Sarah Karihwaie’ne McComber gathers with family in the basement of Amelia and Joe McGregor’s prefab home in the 1980s. From left to right: Sarah Karihwaie’ne McComber, Sheena McGregor, Carole McGregor, Joanne McGregor, Nessy McGregor, Wilfred Joseph Beauvais and Joe McGregor. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

Tewenhniserakéhaton ohnà:ken tontaionhtén:ti’, ionkwatkehrontakohónhnhe’ tánon’ wa’ehninónnion’ thia’tewatenna’tsherò:ten’s naiontié:nihte’ ne kawistótha’.

Ne tho shiwahsontá:te, Ronwaia’tanentaktónhne’ nen’ nè:’e, ísi’ na’kahén:tati ontiaríha tsi tiakonónhsote í:ke’skwe’. Sha’tontonkwenonhátie’, iorahkwáhskats ne tho, kwah iorahkwáhskats. Iekarahkwaié:ri , thó:ha ki’. Tánon’ wá:tons enhsatkáhtho’ arenhátien’ tsi tetiò:kara’s. Tsi sakáhkete’ tsi tkanónhsote nonkwá:ti ionsá:ke’, tsi kanonhsí:io tewa’arakháhsion, khé:re káti’ ken ionkehrhá:rehkwe’ taontá:ke’, tánon’ tsi tekatsiserá:ton wa’khé:ken’. Ón:ton’ wa’katkáhtho’ tsi teken’tarawèn:’e ienentshà:ke, ne aorì:wa wakaterièn:tarahkwe’ tsi tho itiente, tsi tioterahkwáhere teiohswathè:ton ne teken’tarawèn:’e ienentshà:ke.

Shia’katáweia’te’ kanónhskon, wa’kì:ron’, “Hé:.”

Kanien’kéha wa’kheiatewennontáhkwen’, nok wa’kì:ron’, “Oh káti’ nontié:ren tsi shé:kon saiè:’on? Ó:nen ki’ aiesentà:sheke’.”

Nok Kanien’kéha wa’ontewennón:tahkwe’ wa’ì:ron’, “Akwáh nek tsi niwakatshennón:ni aki’terón:take’, tsi wá:tons akhé:ken’ kheien’okòn:’a.”

Tho né:r wahotità:wha’ ne rake’níha. Wahnirá:ko’ í: tsi tiakwanonhwétstha’ nok wahotità:wha’.

Rake’níha, iah kwah tehahrónhkhahkwe’ ne Tiohrhèn:sha. Ohrhón’ke tahatsnénhtahkwe’, tánon’ wahèn:ron’, Ok na’akoià:tawen’ ne sa’nisténha.”

Wa’tkaráhtate’ kanonhsoharà:ke ia’keráthen’, tánon’ kanekhé:re, iowísto ne akoieròn:ta’. Wa’ontóhetste’ tsi niwahsón:tes. Tánon’ ne ohna’kénhaton wa’ì:ron’: tsi akwáh tsi niiakotshennón:ni aie’terón:take’.

Akaónha nen’ nè:’e takheweiennanòn:we’ne’. Akwé:kon tsi nikón:ti ne tekóntshnie’, ne ratétsen’ts, akwé:kon tsi nihá:ti shakotiienté:ri tsi tehshakotitsèn:tha’ shitiè:teron, tahshakonatken’sè:ra’ nè:’e tsi rón:nehre’ énska shé: taonsahshakotinonhwerá:ton’ tsi ienonwaweiénhen.

Tie’terón:tahkwe’ tsi tehshakotitsèn:tha’, nok iah ki’ othé:nen teiakorihwaka’tèn:’en. Iah nonwén:ton ísi’ nón:we teiakori’wanón:ton, tóka’ ni’ tóka’ eniekwé:ni’ akaonhà:’ak othé:nen naié:iere’, tho nenié:iere’. Iah thiátiere’ tsi sekhé:ieren tsi niieweiennò:ten’ ne ake’nisténha.

Nek tsi, iakwatáthare se’, shé:kon teken’tarawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke, nok wahshakwari’wanón:tonhse’ ne renheion’tahserón:ni tóka’ aón:ton’ ahshonkwarì:wawa’se’. Wa’kì:ron’, “Tsothóhrha’ tsi niió:re Ohiarí:ha sha’teken’tarawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke. Enwá:ton’ ken enhseríhsi’ tsi teken’tarawèn:’e ne tóhsa iaiéhawe’?”

Né: ká:ti wahatiríhsi’ tsi teken’tarawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke nok ionehwahkarí:io wa’thatihwawèn:’eke’ ienentshà:ke. Iakote’whahsó:ron se’ tánon’ iakotia’tahserón:ni nè:’e wa’o’rhó:roke’. Nek tsi shé:kon wá:tons ahsáttoke’ tsi ionehwahkarí:io tekahwawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke.

Iah ónhka tho tétien’skwe’, tha’teiotó:te.

Sarah Karihwaie’ne McComber dances with her husband Wilfred Joseph Beauvais at a wedding in Kahnawake. (Courtesy: Amelia McGregor)

Ákta o’karahsnéha nikahá:wi, í: tánon’ Só:se tho iákene’skwe’. Iatiá:ton, “Á:ke, wakerihwaié:was oh niwatkahthohtsherò:ten’ ne ienentshà:ke.”

Iorihwá:nen tsi na’tiatiaterien’tawénrie’.

Wa’akenihará:tate’ ne ionehwahkarí:io. Skaraienté:ri ken thí:ken teióia’ks Pirates of the Caribbean? Saterièn:tare wáhi nó:nen enhshé:ken’ ne ratihonweia’kehró:non, tánon’ ne tioterahkwáhere tehotihswa’the’tén:ni, otkaróhkwa’ khók ne raonatahkwénnia’, tánon’ nek ié:ken ohskóhara’?

Eh tho niwatkahthohtsherò:ten’ ne ienentshà:ke, nek tsi akwé:kon kahòn:tsi tsi ní:ioht.

Wa’keri’wanón:ton’, “Oh nontié:ren iah tha’teietshinentshià:kon?”

Wahonnì:ron’, “Ase’kén wa’tewatenòn:ianihte’ tsi onthará:tate’ tsi teiakonekwenhsatsikhè:tare.”

Né: ká:ti’ tahshakotinentshià:konke’, ó:nen’k tsi iehnenhsà:ke niió:re enkénhake’. Tánon’ tóka’ tho nahotiié:renke’, tánon’ shé:kon wéhrhahkwe’ aiótken’, ka’ káti’ nón: nákte nón: tahotiià:kon? Iah teiotòn:’on ahotirákwen.

Teiakohenréhtha’ tsi niió:re tsi iononhwákte’ ne ienentshà:ke. Shé:kon niionttó:ka’skwe’ ne tho nonkwá: ienentshà:ke.

Né: khók takarihón:ni’ tsi wahatinónhstate’.

Wa’kì:ron’, “sewaterièn:tarahkwe’ tsi eniontóhetste’ wáhi? Né: aorì:wa wahsheríhon’ taontá:ien’.”

Wahonnì:ron’, “Iah ne teionkwaterièn:tarahkwe’. Iah ónhka nè:’e teiakoterièn:tare.”

Wa’kì:ron’, “Sewaterièn:tarahkwe’. Kwah nek ne takwahró:ri ne tóhsa akwahiatónhseron’. Nek tsi iah thakwahiatónhseron’. Tesewateweièn:ton’ tsi niió:re wesewakwé:ni’. Ionkwaterihwanoronhstén:ni tóka’ ken thé:nen sewaterièn:tarahkwe’ tó: nikarì:wes shé: iakó:ien aiakónhnheke’.”

Wahonì:ron’, “Iah nonwén:ton tesaterièn:tare. Shonkwaia’tíson khók roterièn:tare.”

Tánon’ tó:kenske nen’ nè:’e.

Translation by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette

Courtesy Amelia McGregor