Our way
Before leading a traditional way of life, Joe McGregor was a practicing catholic. He poses with his mother, Violet Johnson, and his daughter, Katsitsanoron McGregor, during her first communion at the St. Francis Xavier Mission Catholic Church. Photo was taken around 1992. (Courtesy: Joe McGregor)
Story told by Joe McGregor
All of us were born, our family, they would all talk Mohawk, and catholic, and French. You had three languages. So that’s what we all grew up to.
Then I started to really be myself, and I can work on that, which was nice. Mostly, I would use English, because it’s faster than anything else. The Mohawk language is very difficult. It takes long to do things, because everything about our way is always sacred.
So, when you do something in our ways, you need to burn tobacco next to it, or even if you don’t have tobacco, you have something there, just put it on the ground, you could set it on fire or just leave it there and start a talk.
Make a little fire, because the fire’s gonna go up for the Creator.
I started to make this round circle on the ground, and I would sit there and I started to burn tobacco there. I’d see cars pass over there, but it’s better if they don’t see you, because people can kill your power.
Some people say, “What’s that gonna do?”
Nobody has to know. It’s for you, you want to know. You don’t have to say it goes to the heavens.
It’s for you, you tried.
Tsi niionkwarihò:ten’
Courtesy: Joe McGregor
Joe McGregor roká:raton
Akwé:kon ionkwanakerá:ton onkwahwá:tsire’. Kanien’kéha, tehatiiahsontha’kéha, tánon’ O’seronni’kéha enhontá:ti’. Áhsen nikawén:nake kaién:tahkwe’. Né: ká:ti’, ne ki’ nè:’e ionkwatehiahrónhkwen.
Sok takatáhsawen’ take’nikonhráhsa’ahte’ tsi ní:tsi sakanonhtónnionhwe’.
Tánon’ wá:tons nè:’e aontió’ten’, ion’wé:sen ki’ nen’ nè:’e. Sénha iotkà:te’ Tiohrhèn:sha wa’katewennón:tahkwe’ nè:’e tsi sénha ne iosnó:re’. É:so tsi watewennató:re’ ne Kanien’kéha kawennontáhkwen. Karì:wes ní: tsi nitewaiéhrha’, ase’kén orihwakwé:kon tsi niionkwarihò:ten’ ísi’ nón:we nì:’i tsi tewarihkweniénhstha’.
Né: ká:ti’, nó:nen thé:nen enhsaterihwahténtia’te’ ne tsi niionkwarihò:ten’, ó:nen’k tsi ákta enhsien’kóntho’. Tánon’ tóka’ iah tesaièn:kwaien, tóka’ thé:nen’k sá:ien, kwah nek onhontsà:ke ítsen. Aón:ton’ ahsatè:ka’te’ tóka’ ni’ kwah nek tho ítsen tánon’ entehsatáhsawen’ ahsatá:ti’.
Sattsenhón:ni ahsien’kwarakétsko’ iá:onwe’ íthre’s ne shonkwaia’tíson.
Takatáhsawen’ wà:kerahste’ teiothwe’nón:ni onhontsà:ke, tánon’ tho enkanitskó:ten’ enkattsenhón:ni’ tánon’ entien’kóntho’. Katkáhthos ne kà:sere ísi’ nonkwá: kontohétstha’, sénha ioiánere’ tóka’ iah thaiesá:ken’. Tóka’ onkwehshòn:’a eniesá:ken’ enwá:ton enhatírio’ ne sa’shátstenhsera’.
Ótia’ke ión:ton, “Oh ne nenká:iere’?”
Iah tha’teiotonhontsóhon ónhka aiakotó:kenhse’. Í:se sarihwà:ke, í:se teiotonhontsóhon aiesaterièn:tarake’. Iah tha’teiotonhontsóhon ahsì:ron’ karonhià:ke ién:we’.
Í:se ne sarihwà:ke, wahsate’nién:ten’.
Translation by: Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette