Otherworldly experience
Artwork depicts rebirth by Kahnawa’kehró:non Russell Delaronde (Credit: Russell Delaronde)
Story told by Geraldine Standup
When I was about six months pregnant with my daughter, I had a very surreal experience. It was late at night and I was watching the Academy Awards. My boys were asleep. I was sitting on the sofa all by myself. I had a glass of Pepsi and a bag of potato chips. I was in seventh heaven watching the Oscars.
All of a sudden, I realized something was off.
Everything started to become fluid. The coffee table was wavy. The wall was kind of watery. Everybody on the TV began to get very watery. It was like looking through water.
I went to shake my head to clear my vision and I went into this spiral. I was so dizzy that I hung onto the sofa so I wouldn’t fall off. I was sick as a dog.
That was the start of my journey into the spiritual realm. It happened very spontaneously.
After that, I wound up being bedridden for three years. I didn’t become normal again until my daughter was six years old.
I was walking around like a drunk holding onto walls just to keep me grounded. What was happening was my vibration was rising and as it was rising, I felt like I was actually going to levitate. I was just trying to stay grounded. I can describe it now, but at that time I didn’t have a clue.
I was 118 pounds after losing so much weight. After the dizziness, I started to shake and I shook for three years. The only time I stopped shaking was when I was flat out on my back and you can’t eat laying down. I used to have to hang onto the table and shovel food in my mouth as fast as I could because it was exhausting. At one point, it was so bad that if I died, I would have preferred it over living like that.
There’s no one there to tell me that after three years it’s going to be done. I had to fight to get myself better.
It was because of Bruce Elijah. He was a student counsellor at KSS. He came to visit me and said, “You need to see medicine people.” He suggested I go to see medicine people out west.
The spirits will try to test you. I didn’t have much help. I don’t have brothers or sisters. My mother was living in New York, remarried. My grandparents were dead. I had to do it myself.
The people that really helped me were my cousin Lynn and her sister Margie. She watched my daughter while I went. I had to make all the arrangements myself. I have no idea how I managed to get there.
Geraldine’s cousin, Lynn Jacobs, is held up by their grandmother, Margaret Stacey Beauvais. Lynn Jacobs supported Geraldine when she travelled to see medicine people. (Courtesy: Lynn Jacobs)
The first trip I went to was Keremeos in the interior of BC, not too far from Penticton. They’re Okanagan people. The Okanagan people have an alliance with the Haudenosaunee people so it was like being with my family.
What happened there was I wound up in a sweat lodge for a week. Once a day, every day, for a week. That’s what got me to start functioning again. Right from the get go I had all of these otherworldly experiences in the sweat lodge.
Map from 1951 of First Nation reserves created by the Okanagan Agency. (Courtesy: Library and Archives Canada)
Meeting with the medicine people just triggered something in me. Three months later I was asked to come to Montana. In August, the healers called me back and said, “We’d like you to come back. Fly to Spokane and they’ll pick you up at the airport.”
But I didn’t have any money to do that so I didn’t think I was gonna be able to go. I told my aunties and they said, “We’ll chip in and pay your fare but we’re going with you.”
My aunt Connie, Leatrice, and Beverly and I flew to Spokane. Sure enough, they were waiting for me and we drove to the Colville federated reserve.
I was amazed at the immensity of that reserve. You could drive all day and still be on the reserve. Actually, there are several communities on that reserve.
Nespelem Indigenous woman from 1911. (Courtesy: Edward S. Curtis Collection)
I was at a reserve called Nespelem. We went and stayed with the medicine people there for a couple of days. While we were there, we had some sweat lodges and then we drove 500 miles east through Idaho and into Montana.
Kanien'kéha version
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Kanien'kéha version ↓
Nia'té:kon kari'wahséhton onkwaterihotáhsien'
Geraldine as a child. (Courtesy: Tekaronhiahkhwa Standup)
Geraldine Standup IAKOKÁ:RATON
Wa'tewakatierónnion'se' kí:ken ià:ia'k niwenhnì:take shiwakehrhá:re' ne kheièn:'a aiakennákerate'. Kwah karì:wes shitio'karà:'on Academy Awards wakaterò:ron. Kheien'okòn:'a rotí:ta'skwe'. Akonhà:'ak kí:ken sowháhne kitskó:tahkwe'. Wakatewisáhere' ne wathnekatákwas Pepsi tánon' skaiá:ra iohnenna'táthen í:keks. Iaohetstáhkwen tsi niion'wesénhne' Oscars wakaterò:ron kwah néne tóka' shí:ken karonhià:ke ítke'skwe'.
Thontaiawénhstsi' kí:ken tha'kattokáhstsi' tsi tewakatieronnión:ni.
Akwé:kon ohné:ka' ón:ton'. Ionontakwarontóntie's kí:ken watekhwahráhtsherote'. Iohné:konte' ne ahsonhtà:ke. Akwé:kon nahò:ten' taká:ra'ne' tsi tewatahsatáhrha' ohné:ka' ón:ton'. Kwah néne tóka' shí:ken wakatenón:waien' tekatkahthónnions.
Kéhrhahkwe' akatenontsistá:wake' ne taontakaié:ri'ne' tsi katkáhthos, nek tsi onktsinonwaté:ni'. Ó:nen'k tsi sowháhne wa'tié:na' oh naiá:wen' ne tóhsa iatià:ten'ne'. Ótsta' nontonkene'warà:ten'.
Eh tho shontakahá:wi tontáhsawen' ne atónhnhets aontió'ten'. Akwáhs thontaiawénhstsi' tontáhsawen'.
Nok shonterihóhetste', áhsen niiohserá:ke onkenaktanén:takte' . Iah skén:nen tetsotòn:'on tsik tóka' ià:ia'k sha'tiakohserí:ia'ke' ne kheièn:'a.
Kwah kanónhskon í:ke' ahsonhtà:ke watienawa'konhátie' tsi ní:ioht tóka' shí:ken wakhné:ka, tho nà:tiere' ne aki'terón:take'. Kattó:kaskwe' kí:ken tsi kónhnhe' iotharatatonhátie', wéhrhahkwe' ne kwah tekèn:'en akathará:tate'. Wakahkwisróntie' ne aki'terón:take'. Enkkwé:ni' ó:nen ne takerihwáthe'te' nek tsi tho shikahá:wi iah tewake'nikonhraién:ta'skwe' oh niwatià:tawens.
Énska tewen'niáwe tánon' sha'té:kon iawén:re nikakon'tsherá:ke nisewatia'tákstehkwe'. É:so tsi wa'ká:tiwe'. Sha'tká:ta'ne' tsi waktsinonwaténie's, tontáhsawen' tsi watia'tishónhkhwa', tánon' áhsen niiohserá:ke watia'tishónhkhwahkwe'. Tho'k thí:tsi wa'tká:ta'ne' tsi watia'tishónhkhwa' tsik wa'ká:rate' tánon' iah se' nón:kwe teiekwénie's taiontskà:hon' tsi ieia'tión:ni. Kwah wa'tewatonhóntsohwe' ne atekhwahráhne aontienawa'kónhake' tsi wa'kekhwáta', ó:nen'k tsi iosnó:re' wa'tkatskà:hon' nè:'e tsi sótsi teiohwishenheia'tòn:ne'. Énska kí:ken, tsi niió:re tsi wahétkenhkwe' kéhrhahkwe' aonkihéion né: ne iá:we' tho ní:ioht tsi akónhnheke'.
Courtesy: Brenda Mitten
Áhsen niiohserá:ke kí:ken iah ónhka tho tétien'skwe' ne aionkhró:ri' tsi enwatóhetste'. Ó:nen'k tsi wa'katahkátstate' ne aonsakatatkwatá:ko'
Bruce Elijah né: taharihón:ni'. KSS tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' roió'tehkwe', sehshako'nikonhrahserón:nis ne ronteweiénstha' . Tahanatà:ra' kí:ken tánon' wahèn:ron', "Tesatonhontsó:ni ne onónhkwa' rotiió'te' taiesewatátken'." Tahate'nikonhrátka'we' wahèn:ron' è:neken nonkwá:ti iá:ke' tánon' onónhkwa' rotiió'tens ia'taiakwatátken'.
Tho ki' ní:ioht tsi ka'shatstenhserowá:nen's enionsátken'se'. Iah tewatia'takehnhahtsherakà:te'. Iah tewakatate'kèn:shen. Isten'kénha Kanón:no tienákerehkwe', tsakoniá:kon. Ionkhsothó:kon ronenhéion. Akonhà:'ak ó:nen'k tsi tho nà:tiere'.
Onkwara'se'okòn:'a ne kwah tiontia'takehnhà:'on, Lynn tánon' tiatate'kèn:'a Margie. Wa'ontaten'nikòn:raren' ne kheièn:'a tsi nikarì:wes wakahtentiòn:ne'. Akonhà:'ak ó:nen'k tsi akwé:kon wa'kataterihwahserónnien'. Iah tesewakaterièn:tare' oh ná: ní:ioht tsi wa'kkwé:ni' ne tho iá:kewe'.
Né: kí:ken tiotierénhton tewakatstikáhwhen, Keremeos iewakenónhne' tsi nón:we BC kanà:skwakon ratina'tónhkhwa', ákta tkaná:taien' ne Penticton. Okanaganhró:non nen' nè:'e. Ronónha tánon' ionkwanonhsión:ni ionkwatenrò:'on. Kwah né: ne tóka' shí:ken kahwá:tsire' iákwe'skwe'.
Tho ki' nón:we ia'ontia'ténhawe' tsi nón:we wa'akwenné:ion' (wa'akwatati'tonhkwáhrhohste') ne tsahià:khsera. Énska ia'ká:ienhte' thia'tewenhniserá:ke ne tsahià:khsera. Né: ki' sonke'nikonhrahserón:ni', tánon' són:ton' ne aonsakatonhnhahtén:ti'. Kwah tsi tontáhsawen' wa'akwenné:ion' nia'té:kon ki' kari'wahséhton onkwaterihotáhsien'.
Wa'tewattsiró:ko' kí:ken ake'nikòn:rakon tsi wa'tiakwatátken' ne onónhkwa' rotiió'te. Áhsen niwenhnì:take ohnà:ken wa'onkeri'wanón:tonhse' ne Montana iá:ke'. Seskéha shiwenhni'tò:ten, rontétsen'ts saionkeri'wanón:tonhse' ne tho iaonsá:ke', sahatiri'wanón:ton' wahonnì:ron', "Iákwehre' taontáhse'. Spokane ia'tésten tánon' tho ienkwèn:nonke' tsi tekonta'senhtáhkhwa'."
Spokane Falls resources map created by Gies & Company in 1890. (Courtesy: Gies & Company)
Nek tsi iah tewakhwistaién:tahkwe' ne tho nátiere', iah ki' ne tewakanonhtonniónhon tsi enkkwé:ni'. Akwamaten'thokòn:'a wa'khehró:ri' kí:ken tánon' wa'tkontirihwa'será:ko', wa'konnì:ron', "Tentewátiehste' tánon' ieniakwatá:ti' enkwahahahní:non'se' nek tsi skátne tho wétewe'."
Akwamaten'thokòn:'a Connie, Leatrice, tánon' Beverly ia'tiakwá:ten' tsi niió:re Spokane ia'ákwawe'. Tho se' nón:we tionkehrhá:rehkwe', sok ki' Colville tsi kanenhstá:ton ia'akwató:ri'.
Tonkenehrákwahte' tsi nihononhóntsa'. Akon'tátie' nón:kwe eniontó:ri' tánon' shé:kon tsi kanenhstá:ton eniakè:sheke'. Tohkára ki' ní:kon kanatakè:ron tsi kanenhstá:ton.
Nespelem konwá:iats kí:ken tsi nón:we iewakenónhne'. Tohkára nón:ta skátne onónhkwa' rotiió'te' tho tiákwe'skwe', tánon' wa'akwenné:ion'* (wa'akwatati'tonhkwáhrhohste'). Sok ki' wísk tewen'niáwe niwatkahthohtsherá:ke (míle) ia'akwató:ri', nà:kon nonkwá:ti nia'ákwe', Idaho wa'akwatóhetste' tsi niió:re Montana ia'ákwawe’.
*J.A. Cuoq, Lexique de la Langue Iroquoise, 1883: pp.18.: kenneions prendre un bain de suerie…en faisant chauffer des pierres.
Translation by Akwiratékha' Martin