The mighty St. Lawrence river
The St. Lawrence River was used for various activities including swimming, bathing, and washing clothes. Photo taken in the early 1950s. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Story told by Arthur Diabo
The St. Lawrence River played an important role in our daily lives, especially for families living by the riverside in the old village area of Kahnawake. On nice sunny days, community women would go down to the shore and wash laundry with large bar of soap and scrub boards in hand and children in tow.
You didn’t need to read newspapers because there was a lot of information and gossip being shared back and forth between the women. They spoke in Mohawk about the latest news and gossip in the community. As a child I understood some Mohawk; however, I had a bad stutter and I shied away from talking directly to people.
As kids we were always playing close to the river. You could look down into the water and actually see large fish swimming by. We were told not to drink river water, but we drank it anyways because, for us, it looked clean enough.
Most families in the village area didn’t have running water so we had to haul it from the river. My mother would hire my older cousin to deliver 50-gallon drums of river water to our house for laundry and bathing. He borrowed my grandfather’s horse and flatbed trailer to do the hauling. For drinking water, my brother Johnny and I would draw it from one of the public hand pumps located throughout the community.
My father borrowed a shoulder yoke from my grandfather. You could carry two pails of water that were balanced on each end of the yoke. That method was easier than carrying heavy pails with handles digging into your hands and requiring frequent rest stops.
This was a period before the intrusion of the Seaway on our land and when we had easy access to the river. There were grassy areas in the community where people picked all kinds of berries and where cows and horses could graze and feed off the grass.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
↓
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Ioniataratshà:ni ne Kaniatarowanèn:ne
View towards Hooks Point on the St. Lawrence River before the construction of the Seaway, circa 1949. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Arthur Diabo ROKÁ:RATON
É:so tsi iorihowá:nen ne Kaniatarowanèn:ne tsi ní:ioht tsi thia'tewenhniserá:ke iatiónhnhehkwe', kwah sénha tsi nikahwatsí:rake kaniatarákta thatinákerehkwe' kaná:takon nón:we ne Kahnawà:ke. Nó:nen shes wenhniserí:io tánon' ioráhkote', kèn:'en kontinákere' konnón:kwe atsà:kta nienkón:ne' enkontinoharéha', kowá:nen ononhwarè:tha' tánon' ohsòn:kare' kontíhawe' tánon' konwatiien'okòn:'a rotiia'ten'tòn:ne'.
Iah tha'teiotonhontsohòn:ne' tsi tekonrénie's ahsewennahnó:ten' ase'kénh é:so iorì:wake tánon' teioterihókwen tenkontathroriánion' ne konnón:kwe. Kanien'kéha wa'kontewennón:tahkwe' wa'kontihthá:rahkwe' nahò:ten' iorì:wase' tánon' ne teioterihókwen kaná:takon. Shikeksà:'a ostón:ha wake'nikonhraién:ta'skwe' ne Kanien'kéha; sá:ne, kwahtokèn:'en wakewén:nis tánon' takatón'neke' ne ón:kwe taiakwahthá:ren'.
Shiiakwaksa'okòn:'a tiótkon kaniatarákta ionkwatkahri'tsherón:ni. Enwá:ton' kanón:wakon ia'tenhsatkà:neren' tánon' enhshé:ken' kentsowá:nen's ionatohetstonhátie'. Ionkhihró:ri ne tóhsa aiakwahnekì:ra' ne ohné:ka', nek tsi sénha'k wa'akwahnekì:ra' ase'kénh tsi nì:'i wa'ákwehre' ia'tekaié:ri tsi nikahnekí:io.
Josephine Skye Diabo (left) and Kwatharoni (right) pose for a photo while spending a day by the St. Lawrence River, circa 1948. (Courtesy: Kanien'keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center)
Thó:ha akwé:kon tsi nikahwatsí:rake kaná:takon nón:we iah tethotihnekiniòn:ton ó:nen'k tsi ki' kaniatarà:ke nontaiakwahnekaré:ni'. Istèn:'a enhonwáhnha'ne' ne sénha nithó:ien' ontiara'sè:'a tsi tionkwanónhsote' ahaiénhna' ne ka'náhkwa' wísk niwáhsen kárehn wathnekáta's ne kaniatarà:ke rohenkotsenhónhne' néne aiakwanóhere' tánon' aiakwatá:wen'. Wahatáteni' rakhsótha' raotshé:nen akohsá:tens tánon' watahskwì:sere' nahakaré:ni'. Ok ne ohné:kanos, ri'kèn:'a Johnny tánon' ì:'i énska tsi ní:kon iohnaweró:ton kanakerahserá:kon entiakenihnekatáhko'.
Rake'níha wahatáteni' rakhsótha' raó:wen teionteniarohróktha'. Enwá:ton tekanà:tsake iénhshawe tetsarónhkwen nonkwá:ti ne teionteniarohróktha' sha'tekakon'tsheríhare'. Sénha watié:sen ne eh tho ní:ioht naié:iere' né:ne iá:we iona'tsákste' iáhshawe' tánon' ensahsnonhsanòn:wake' tánon' ó:nen'k iotkà:te' ténhsta'ne'.
Né: kí:ken ohén:ton shiká:ien' tsi kana'tsheratátie' ontionhontsà:ke tánon' watiesénhne' kaniatarà:ke iaiákwe'. Iohentakwenhrá:ron kanakerahserá:kon tsi nón: ón:kwe nia'tewà:iake wa'é:ko' tánon' tsi nón:we tiohnhónhskwaron tánon' akohsá:tens enwá:ton' enkontihén:take' ne tho kahentà:ke.
Translation by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette