Raised holy stink
St. Regis Mohawk School standing today. (Courtesy: St. Regis Mohawk School)
Story told by Alma Ransom
In 1968, we had had it with the current school system in Akwesasne. The principal of the Mohawk school that was there at the time had brought in all his relatives as teachers. All these people teaching our children and judging them didn’t even have an adequate education themselves.
Around Easter time, there was some type of gathering. Parents were saying that the students aren’t getting the depth of education, the know-how to go on to college. And those who would go to college would be failing there. Everybody’s story was the same. The men are out risking their lives on ironwork. And the women are just doing house cleaning jobs.
We closed the school that Easter. We were there on the steps, parked our cars and raised heck. We didn’t let anybody in but the janitor.
New York state is responsible for attendance so that’s all they cared about, not how well we’re doing or not doing. It’s the attendance. They came to see what we were doing, and we cornered them until they gave up and they got rid of all those teachers that the principal had brought in.
My husband was working and living in New York City at the time. He called and he says, “I saw your goddamn picture on TV. I’m not prepared to bail you out; you’re going to go to jail!” But nobody cared.
Some kids would go away for school and would come back and couldn’t be part of the community because they don’t speak Indian. It was a mess. So, we continued to raise holy stink. These were the grandchildren of the people that were in residential school, where the language was just plain taken away from them.
We eventually got our own teachers from our community. That was memorable. From then on, we got Indian language, we started teaching culture, we got everything in there. Mohawk school started teaching Mohawk language in elementary. On the American side, we had Freedom School, which taught the language in both elementary and high school and it was funded by Indian parents.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
↓
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Iakwanenneri’tanonhskárias
Alma Ransom and her husband Orlo Ransom on their 55th anniversary in 2013. (Courtesy: Indian Time)
Alma Ransom IAKOKÁ:RATON
Né: 1968 shiiohserò:ten, kwah ia’tionkwaié:rihse' ne tsi ní:ioht tsi ronahtentià:ton ne tsi ionterihwaienstaniónhkhwa' ne Ahkwesásne. Né: ohén:ton ì:rate' ne Mohawk School néne tho shitkahá:wi tkanónhsote' kwah akwé:kon ne rontátenonhkwe' tahshakoia’tínion’te' nahshakotirihónnien’. Kwah akwé:kon tsi nihá:ti wahshakotirihónnien’ tánon' wahshakonatà:senhte’ nonkwaksa’ta’shòn:’a kwah iah thiekaié:ri tsi nihatiweientehtòn:ne' nothé:nen nahshakotirihónnien'.
Ákta ne Shotonhnhé:ton, ok ní:ioht ontenenhrón:ni'. Néne shakotiièn:’a rón:ton tsi iah kwah tokèn:’en othé:nen tehatiweientéhta’s ne ronterihwaiénstha', tsi iah ioianerehón:we tehatiweién:te' ne tsi ionterihwaiensthahkó:wa iahón:ne’. Ok ne tsi niká:ien' tó:kenske eh ién:ien' kwah eniakorihwanó:ron eh nón:we. Akwé:kon ok sha’tehotikarò:ten. Kwah tsi ní:ioht ne ratikaronnià:tha' tsi ronnónhnhe' ne ronnón:kwe tsi karistà:ke rotiió’te'. Ok ne konnón:kwe kwah ki’ nek kanónhskon iotiio’ténion.
Wa’akwahnhó:ton ne tsi ionterihwaienstáhkhwa’ ne tho Shishotonhnhé:ton. Kheh tho kanekotà:ke iakwá:rate’, wa’akwate’serehtakè:ron’ tánon' wa’akwanonhská:ri'. Iah ónhka teiakhirihwá:wi aiontáweia’te' nek ne ne tehrohtáhrhos.
Ronónha wáhi New York ronaterihwaién:ni ahónhsete' tsi niiotkà:te' iakoke’tóhtha' tánon' nek thí:ken wahontsté:riste’, iah wáhi tsi nihotiianeren’sehátie’ tóka’ ni' tsi nihoti’taksà:se’. Nek tiorihowá:nen thí:ken tsi niiotkà:te' iakoke’tóhtha'. Tahón:ne' wáhi nahóntken’se' tsi niiakwatiéhrha’ tánon' wa’tiakhihnhonhnhtawèn:’eke' tsi niió:re wahonhtsakwaríhsi' tánon' sahshakotihnhahsión:ko' akwé:kon thí:ken shakotirihonnién:ni ne tsi niká:ien' nohén:ton ì:rate' tehshakoia’tinion’tòn:ne'.
Kanón:no nonkwá:ti thoió’tehkwe' tánon' then’terón:tahkwe’ ne rikstén:ha ne tho shitkahá:wi. Tahatewennáta' tánon' rá:ton, “Wa’katenenneri’tatkáhtho’ tsà:tare' ne tkarasthà:ke. Kwah iah tewakateweiennentà:’on aonsakonhnhotón:ko’, kwah tó:kenske satehnhotòn:ne'!” Nek tsi iah ónhka othé:nen teiakotsteríston.
Tohkára nihá:ti ne ratiksa’okòn:’a é:ren wahón:nehte' nahonterihwaienstà:na’ tánon' tontahón:ne’ tánon iah teiotòn:’on aonsahonatià:tare’ kanakerahserá:kon ase'kén iah teshonhrónkha' nonkwehonwehnéha. Kwah teioni’takwathòn:ne'. Ionsaiakwatahsónteren’ ki’ wáhi tsi iakwanenneri’tanonhskárias. Né: kí:ken ne raonaterè:sera' ne tsi niká:ien' tehonwatikhahsiónkwen tsi ronterihwaienstáhkhwa’ tehonatohétston, né: ki’ tsi nón:we kwah tokèn:’en ronwatíhkhwen ne tsi nihatiwennò:ten.
Katke’shòn:’a ki’ wa’ontionkwe’taién:ta’ne' shakotirihonnién:ni néne onkwanakerahserá:kon nithoné:non. É:so tsi iawehià:raht eh nahò:ten'. Né: tho shontakahá:wi, wa’onkwaién:ta’ne' onkwehonwehnéha, taiakwatáhsawen’ wa’akhirihónnien’ tsi niionkwarihò:ten, kwah akwé:kon nahò:ten’ wa’onkwaién:ta’ne' eh nón:we. Mohawk School tahontáhsawen’ Kanien’kéha wahshakotirihónnien’ tetsá:ron nonkwá:ti ne ken’ nihonnà:sa tsi ronterihwaienstáhkhwa’ tánon' ne tsi tiotenónhsate’ tánon' Onkwehón:we rotiwí:raien' wahshakotikária’khse.
Edited by: Emma McLaughlin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Translated by Karonhí:io Delaronde