No help of any kind
Bystanders watch as a ship sails underneath the finished CPR bridge. (Courtesy: Peter Thomas)
Story told by Só:se Raientonnis
My mother’s father, Frank Lazare, had a job in Lachine at the Dominion Bridge, it was a foundry. During the winter months, they used to have to walk to work on the train bridge - the CPR bridge. They’d put in a full day of work, then they’d have to walk home. There was no Mercier Bridge then.
They were coming home to Kahnawà:ke from work in a blizzard. And you know how noisy those blizzards are. They got blizzards there in those days that we don’t see anymore. There were six of them, walking in a bunch on the tracks. They didn’t hear the train until they saw the lights of the train. So they jumped clear.
My grandfather, he also jumped but not fast enough. The cowcatcher - the grill in front of the train - hit him and it knocked him off the bridge. He fell into the river and he was found about a week later.
So my grandmother was stuck with four small children and no money coming in at all. There was no insurance, no accident policies. No help of any kind. They had nothing. Nobody paid a nickel. That’s the way Canada was then in 1919.
So my grandmother went to work in a laundry in Quebec City and took the two older ones with her. She made arrangements with Spanish residential school to transport the two youngest ones there - my mother who was five and her brother. My mother never spoke about Spanish. I would have to drag it out of her. But she told me that much anyways.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Iah Káneka Tekaién:tahkwe' Ne Tsik Nikaia'takehnhahtsherò:ten
A look at the tracks on top of the CPR train bridge which spans over the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Kahnawake. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Só:se Raientonnis ROKÁ:RATON
Ake'nisténha ronwa'níha, Saksári, Skaniatará:ti thoió'tehkwe' Dominion Bridge nonkwá:ti, tsi ieristonnià:tha' kénhne'. Ne akohserà:ke shiwenhni'té:son's, tió:konte' shos ehta'kéhshon ienhón:ne' tsi enhotiio'ténshera' thiio'kéha tsi waskóhon nonkwá:ti' - CPR tsi wahskóhon. Enhonnenhseraié:rite', sok teiotonhontsóhon ehta'kéhshon taontahón:ne' tsi enshonhtén:ti'. Iah tewahskwà:rahkwe' ne Mercier Tsi Wahskóhon ne thò:ne.
Tehotinien'kwatá:se' ki' thí:ken tontahonahtentionhátie' Kahnawà:ke tsi wahontoríshen' tsi rotiió'te'. Saterièn:tare' wáhi tsi niiorakarè:ni thí:ken tekanien'kwatá:se's. Tehotinien'kwatá:se'skwe' ne tho tewenhniseraténion néne iah nòn:wa tetsitewatkáhthos. Ià:ia'k nihatíhne' ki' thí:ken, thiio'kéha tsi ioteristatátie' rón:ne'. Iah tehonahrón:ken tsi thiio'kéha takatákhe' tsi niió:re wahontkáhtho' ne iothahseró:ton. Thò:ne ki' ia'thonni'tsónhkwahkwe' é:ren sahón:nehte'.
Rakhsótha', ia'thani'tsónhkwahkwe' ò:ni' nek tsi iah thia'teioierì:'on' tsi nahatsnó:rate'. Thí:ken tionhnhónskwaron' iakoié:nas - ne thí:ken kanawí:ra' ohén:ton iaón:te' ne thiio'kéha - wahókwahte' tánon' tsi wahskóhon tahoià:tenhte'. Tsi kaniataratátie' iahaià:ten'ne' tánon' tsahià:ksera ohnà:ken' niió:re sahonwaia'tatshén:ri'.
Kheh tontahshakótka'we' ne akhsótha' ia'tonsaiakoià:tihste' kaié:ri nitsakowí:raien' tánon' kwah iah káneka tha'tetewéhtha' nohwísta'. Iah othé:nen tekaién:tahkwe' ne atkarónnia' kaia'takehnháhtshera' tóka' ni' kaianerénhsera'. Iah káneka tekaién:tahkwe' ne tsik nikaia'takehnhahtsherò:ten. Iah othé:nen teshotiién:tahkwe'. Iah ónhka wísk kwénis teiakokarià:kon. Tho niiohtòn:ne' ne Koráhne ne 1919 shiiohserá:te'.
Thò:ne Tiaontarí:kon nonkwá:ti tsi ienohare'táhkhwa' ionsaiakoió'ten' ne akhsótha' tánon' iahonwatiia'ténhawe' ne tethnikowá:nen. Wa'onterihwahserón:ni' skátne ne Spanish tehonwatikhahsiónkwen tsi thonterihwaienstáhkhwa' ne iahshakotiia'ténhawe' ne ken' na'tethnà:'a eh nón:we - wísk nitiakoién:tahkwe' ne ake'nisténha tánon' ne iatate'kèn:'a. Iah nonwén:ton énska teiakohtharáhkwen ne Spanish ne ake'nisténha. Entekherihwatáhkwahte' shos. Thok ki' ní:kon ionkhró:ri.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde