Once-in-a-lifetime trip
From left to right, brothers Patrick, David, Matthew and Vincent Cross show off the rat they caught on a summer day in Kahnawake. Photo taken in the late 50s. (Courtesy: Patrick Cross)
Story told by Patrick Cross
My brother David and I did everything together.
There used to be a creek that would run all the way from St. Isidore Road to the canal where the post office is today.
There was a time when the creek was alive and flowed naturally. There were northern pike in that creek back then, you could see them by the protestant graveyard in the spring when it would flood.
One time my brother David and I found a piece of solid fence near the late Clarence Beauvais’ property. At that time there were no houses there, not even a road. We ended up throwing the fence in the creek, grabbed something to use as poles and started going downstream like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. It held our weight, and we rode it down to the canal.
At that time the road bridges were wide cement openings and not culverts like it is now.
In the winter when the creek froze, it would freeze solid, and we would play on it.
Our favourite area was the road crossing by the protestant cemetery and out past the 207, which we used to call St. Isidore Road back then.
David Cross showing his latest game catch. (Credit: Kahonwes)
Another thing David and I did together was skate sleigh. It was kind of like a hot rod but instead of wheels, it had four skate blades attached to the bottom of it.
One person would sit on it and use their feet and a rope to steer while another person would push at the back with a stick.
Using a sheet as a sail we would ride that sleigh from the back of the catholic church in the seaway all the way down to where Sunnyside diner is now. It would make a clickety-clack sound as it went over the ice and the hard part was skating or walking all the way back to the starting point.
I don’t know if the skate sleigh would be safe to do now with global warming and all the salt coming off the Mercier Bridge, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Ísi' nón: niion'wé:sen ne tho ní:tsi aionthonwé:ia'te'
A glimpse of the old North Creek or Whákeras Creek flowing through Kahnawake, circa 1940s. (Courtesy: Kahnawake Environmental Protection Office)
Patrick Cross ROKÁ:RATON
Ì:'i tánon' rakhtsi'kénha Tá:wit tiótkon skátne wa’atiatkahri’tsherón:ni’.
Tkahionhiatátiehkwe' shes ne Saint Isidore tsi iohá:te' nitiothnekahténtion tsi niió:re tsi kana'tsheratátie' tsi nón: nòn:wa nitkanónhsote' tsi iehiatonhseratahkwà:tha'.
Kwató:ken shikahá:wi shé:kon kahionhiióhne' tánon' sha'oié:ra tsi ní:ioht tsi kahionhatátie'. Othore'kéha tsikónhses kontinákerehkwe' kahiónhakon ne thó:ne. Enwá:ton' kahiónhakon enhshé:ken' ákta ne iah tha'teieiahsóntha' tsi ieia'tatárion nó:nen kakwitè:ne enkahné:ko'.
Kè:iahre' énska í: tánon' rakhtsi'kénha Tá:wit, Clarence Beauvaiskénha raotenno'serákta wa'akenitshén:ri' skamarshótshera ne aten'èn:ra. Ne tho shontakahá:wi iah thé:nen tetkanonhsó:tonhkwe' ne tho, akwé:kon ni' iah teiohá:tehkwe'. Kahiónhakon ia'ontiaten'enhrón:ti', tiok nahò:ten' wa'tiákenehkwe' aiátiatste' tsi ní:ioht ne aká:we', sok taiatiatáhsawen' wa'atiatahná:wenhte' tsi ní:ioht ne Sawyer tánon' Huckleberry Finn. Iah teiotenón:waien' tánon' tsi niió:re tsi kana'tsheratátie' nia'onkenihonwì:sere'.
Ne tho shontakahá:wi tsi wahskohónnion ohahákta kowá:nen teioronhwén:tehkwe' iah ken' tha'teioronhwentè:'a tsi ní:ioht nòn:wa.
Akohserà:ke nó:nen enkawíserate' tsi kahionhatátie' owisà:ke eniatiatkahri'tsherón:ni'.
Aonhà:'a tionkenon'weskwaníhahkwe' aiatiatkahri'tsherón:ni' tsi tetiathahà:sere' ákta ne iah tha'teieiahsóntha' tsi ieia'tatárion tánon' ísi' nonkwá: ne 207, St. Isidore tsi iohá:te' shes ne iakwana'tónhkhwa' ne thó:ne.
Eniatiatkà:rihte’ ò:ni' ne tewato'tsinéhtha' kà:sere eniatiatíta'. Tsi ní:ioht ne kà:sere nek tsi né:ne iá:we okahkwèn:ta', kaié:ri niwa'shá:rake teionto'tsinehtáhkhwa' nà:kon iaón:tonhkwe'.
Tseià:ta è:neken enionitskó:ten' sok ionhsi'tà:ke tánon' ahserí:ie' én:iontste' aontaieniarotáhrhoke' tsi nikarì:wes akò:ren ohnà:ken ieniè:reke' kaná:kare' én:iontste'.
Ionnitskaráhkhwa' eniakenihnió:ten' aontakaweraié:na' sok ohnà:ken na'kanónhsati teieiahsonthà:ke tsi niió:re tsi kana'tsheratátie' enionkenihonwì:sere' akwah tsi niió:re tsi nón: nitkanónhsote' ne Sunnyside tsi teiontska'hónhkhwa'. Nó:nen è:neken owisà:ke ienwatóhetste' kí:ken tewato'tsinéhtha' kà:sere sok báks báks báks eniorá:kahre'. Nok wentó:re' taionto'tsinehtsherón:ten' tóka' ni' aionhtén:ti' aonsaiónhkete' tsi tiotahsawáhkwen.
Iah tewakaterièn:tare' tóka' ken shé:kon wá:tons nòn:wa ne tho naié:iere' ase'kénh tsi ní:ioht tsi iaonhontsatarihenhátie' nok ne tiohiò:tsis Mercier tsi wahskóhon tio'sen'hátie'. Nek tsi ísi' nón: niion'wesénhne' tsi tho ní:tsi wa'atiathonwé:ia'te'.
Translated by Sahawisó:ko' Arquette