Protestant and catholic
A group of schoolgirls pose with their teacher in Kahnawà:ke (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Edna Kwatiense Norton
I started school in grade one at the protestant school located where the library is now. We then moved to the old Step-by-Step building in Kahnawà:ke. The other protestant school was for boys and was across from the church in an old red building. Originally, it was Kateri School that had used those buildings. The original catholic school had burnt down and once they re-built it, they moved back into the school they use today, and we got the opportunity to attend schoolhouses that Kateri had used while their new school was being built.
My mother went to catholic school, but she did not want the nuns to teach us, so she sent us to protestant school. Protestant school was like today’s public school. My cousin and I were the same age and lived in the same neighborhood, so we walked to school together. She was going to the catholic school, and I was attending the protestant one.
One time, she crossed the street and told me that she could not walk with me because I was protestant. We were only in grade two and she already had that idea. It was the nuns putting that in her head. Our people were very divided back then.
A glimpse of the Catholic Church in Kahnawà:ke, circa 1912. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
When I got home, I told my mother and my grandmother what happened. My grandmother went to the school and raised hell. Even though she was a very catholic woman, she was not afraid to tell those nuns that it was none of their business what goes on out of these walls. She said, “They are cousins, and my grandchildren were raised like sisters and will be friends forever.” This is when I started noticing a change in our people away from catholicism.
Our women never backed down from anyone. They had a lot of power within our community. They stood up to the nuns and priests that mistreated the children. This is not to say that injustice did not happen, or that they lived easy lives because life was hard back then, but our women were always strong.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Iah tha'tehatiiahsóntha' tehonnetáhkwas tehatiiahsóntha'
The old Step-by-Step building before its demolition in 2023. (Courtesy: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Edna Kwatiense Norton IAKOKÁ:RATON
Énska kahiá:ton nón:we takatáhsawen' tsi katerihwaiénstha' néne tsi nón:we iah tha'tehatiiahsóntha' tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' tsi nón:we nòn:wa niskanónhsote' ne tsi iewennahnotáhkhwa'. Sok eh ionsaiakwátien' tsi nón:we Step-by-Step tkanonhsó:tahkwe' ne Kahnawà:ke. Né: nó:ia' iah tha'tehatiiahsóntha' tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' kwah nè:'e ne rotisken'rhakéhte' raoná:wen tánon' eh tkanonhsó:tahkwe' ísi' na'oháhati ne tsi ionterennaientáhhkhwa' tsi nón:we ne onekwénhtara iononhsakaiòn:'on tkanónhsote'. Katerí: tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' nen' nè:'e tahontié:renhte' wáhontste' thí:ken kanonhsó:tonhkwe'. Ionon'kwatekèn:ne' ki' wáhi ne tiotenonhsatierénhton tehatiiahsóntha' tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' tánon' shonsahatinonhsón:ni' nó:ia', eh ionsahóntien' tsi nón:we nòn:wa tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' kanónhsote', tánon wa'onkwate'shennaién:ta'ne' wa'akwatáweia'te' tsi nón:we shos Katerí: rotinonhsó:ton ionterihwaienstáhkhwa tsi náhe' kanonhsasé'stsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa shihonnonnihátie'.
Tehatiiahsóntha' tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' shos ionterihwaiénstha' nake'nisténha, nek tsi kwah iah tho teiakoriho'ténhne' ne iotiia'tatokénhti aionkhirihónnien', thò:ne ki' iah tha'tehatiiahsóntha tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' ia'onkhiiató:ri'. Kwah se' ken eh niiohtòn:ne' ne iah tha'tehatiiahsóntha tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' ne ki' tsi ní:ioht nòn:wa wenhniseraténion kentiohkwa'kéhkha tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa'. Ontiara'sè:'a tánon' nì:'i kwah sha'tetionkení:ien' tánon' ne shà:ka tsi nón:we ne kaná:takon tiakeninákere', sok ki' skáthne eniatiaterihwaienstà:na' ehta'kéhshon. Tehatiiahsóntha' tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' wà:'en' tánon' iah tha'tehatiiahsóntha tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' wà:ke'.
Énska tsi náhe', wa'tiehahí:ia'ke' tánon' wa'onkhró:ri' tsi iah thaón:ton' skáthne aiatiahtén:ti' ase'kén iah tha'tetiahsóntha'. Kwah ki' nek tékeni tekahiá:ton iakenihá:wine' tánon' ok nà:'a shiiakotenón:wa eh nahò:ten'. Iotiia'tatokénhti ki' nen' nè:'e ne wa'ako'nikonhráta'. É:so tsi teionkwatekhahsiòn:ne' eh shitkahá:wi ne ontionkwe'ta'shòn:'a.
Shionsá:kewe', wa'khehró:ri' nake'nisténha tánon' akhsótha' ne tsi na'á:wen'. Tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa' wa'tiakóia'ke' nakhsótha' tánon' wa'enonhská:ri'. Sá:ne kwah tokèn:'en teieiahsóntha', kwah iah teietshà:niskwe' aiakotihró:ri' thí:ken iotiia'tatokénhti tsi iah othé:nen teiotirihwà:ke néne tsi nitiá:wens átste' nonhsonhsatì:shon ne kèn:tho. Wa'è:ron', "Tiara'sè:'a nen' nè:'e, tánon' tho ní:tsi konwanehià:ron ne kheiatere'okòn:'a kwah tsi ní:ioht akontate'ken'áhake' tánon' tsi nén:we' enkontenróhake'." Ken' shitkahá:wi shonktó:kenhse' tsi tehontkahrhaténie's nontionkwe'ta'shòn:'a é:ren shonnéhtha' ne Tekaiáhsonte'.
Kwah iah nonwén:ton tetionatia'tatihénthon ónhka'k akohén:ton ne onkwathonwisénhtshera'. É:so wáhi ioti'shatstenhseraién:tahkwe' tsi tewanákere'. Wa'tiakonate'katsóthahse' ne iotiia'tatokénhti tánon' ratitsihénhstatsi néne tsi niká:ien' shakonatiesáhton ne ratiksa'okòn:'a. Iah nè:'e tekén:ton's wáhi tsi iah othé:nen sewaterihwate'wáhton teiawèn:'en, tóka' ni' watiesenhón:we tsi ní:tsi wa'ontonhnhahtén:ti' ase'kén wentó:rehkwe' se' wáhi naiakónhnheke' neh shitkahá:wi, nek tsi tió:konte' shikonti'shátste' ne onkwathonwisénhtshera'.
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde