Our spirituality
Geraldine Standup learned to speak Kanien’kéha from her grandparents, Margaret and Louis Beauvais, who were first-language speakers. Photo dates back to the early 1930s. (Courtesy: Geraldine Standup)
Story told by Geraldine Standup
There is so much to be taught and there is so much to bring back.
I think a lot of it has to do with our spirituality and understanding life. It isn’t life affecting you, it is you affecting life.
These are understandings that I’ve been raised with. I was raised by my grandparents who were Mohawk speakers, they didn’t speak English. That’s why I speak Mohawk. It’s because of my grandparents.
It is living with the old people - their admonishments, their scoldings. They didn’t sit you down at a desk to teach you. I think they were of a mind that when you bungled into something, then you were ready for a teaching. So, the teachings become experiential as opposed to book learning.
It’s these kinds of things that we need to bring back to our children.
Tsi nahò:ten’ tionkwehtáhkwen
Young Geraldine poses for a photo in Kahnawake. (Courtesy: Tekaronhiahkhwa Standup)
Geraldine Standup iakoká:raton
É:so nahò:ten’ ká:ien naiakorihónnien’ nok taontaiéhawe’.
Kwah í:kehre’ tekenì:neren tsi nahò:ten’ tionkwehtáhkwen nok tsi ní:ioht tsi ionkwa’nikonhraién:ta’s tsi tiónhnhe’. Iah né: té:ken tsi sónhnhe’ tsi tesa’nikónhrhare’, nè:’e ne tsi ní:ioht tsi enhsatáthawe’ tsi sónhnhe’.
Tho ní:ioht tsi wake’nikonhraién:ta’s tsi wakatehià:ron. Ionkhsothokòn:’a ionkwehià:ron tánon’ Kanien’kéha ne iahrónkhahkwe’, iah teiahrónkha’ ne Tiohrhèn:sha. Ne arihón:ni Kanien’kéha kahrónkha’. Nè:’e tsi ionkhsothokòn:’a tho ní:ioht tsi wa’onkwehià:ron’, nek ié:ken Kanien’kéha iatá:ti.
Nó:nen tesewaiáhse’ ne rotikstenhokòn:’a, eniesáhnhe’se’, eniasarihkwaríhsien’, tánon’ eniesatewennaién:tonhwe’. Iah káneka teieséntskote’ atekhwahrahtsherákta naiesarihónnien’. Kwah í:kehre’ tho nihoti’nikonhrò:ten’ nó:nen othé:nen tenhsaterien’tawénrie’, sok satateweiennentà:’on naiesarihónnien’. Né: ká:ti’, eniesarihónnien’ tsi tesatohetstonhátie’ né:ne iá:we’ kahiatónhsera’ ahsatéweienste’.
Né: kí:ken ken’ naho’tèn:shon ó:nen’k tsi tentiethihawíhten’ ne iethiien’okòn:’a.
Translation by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette