The two sisters
Joe’s grandmother, Konwanen’tá:wi Marquis, fashioned her own leather dress and beaded accessories which she would wear to dance at Chief Poking Fire’s Indian Village. The dress is around 75 years old. (Emma McLaughlin)
Story told by Joe Jacobs
My grandmother’s sister stayed just up the road from us. We stayed here on this corner lot with our grandparents, about four houses away. I had five siblings and we were all raised by my grandparents and my mother. My father died when I was only six months old so I never knew him.
My grandmother and her sister did a lot of beadwork to help raise their family. I guess it came naturally to them. They probably learned from their mother.
They had a little stand in the Indian Village where they both sold their craftwork. While they were selling their crafts, they were doing beadwork. The tourists used to come in on Saturdays and Sundays. We used to have a lot of tourists coming in from the Montreal area through the Murray Hill bus company.
The two sisters would do beadwork together, sell their crafts together and dance together. They were very close.
Sometimes my grandmother would make a soup and would bring a couple of bowls of soup up to her sister. Her sister would do the same. They had a special connection. They must have gotten that from their parents.
There’s a lot of young people now who have picked up beadwork because there are some older people teaching them how to do it. It’s coming back. My young niece makes moccasins with a lot of beadwork on it.
I do beadwork too but not like this. I do loomwork.
Tekeniiáhse tiatate’kèn:’a
Like his grandmother, Joe Jacobs also dabbles in beadwork and created this piece depicting the Great Tree of Peace on his loom. (Emma McLaughlin)
Joe Jacobs roká:raton
Ken’ niiohrè:’a tsi wa’ohatátie’ tie’terón:tahkwe’ nakhsótha’ ontate’kèn:’a. Kèn:’en tsi tekahióhsaien iakwen’terón:tahkwe’ ne ionkhihsothokòn:’a, kaié:ri nikanónhsake niió:re’ tóka’.
5 niwakatate’kèn:shen, tánon’ akwé:kon ionkhiiehià:ron ne ionkhihsothokòn:’a tánon’ nake’nisténha. Rake’níha wahrénheie’ ne 6 niwenhnì:take khok shitewátien, né: ká:ti’ iah nonwén:ton tehiientehrhà:’on. É:so tekenitsi’nehtará:rons ne akhsótha’ tánon’ ontate’kèn:’a atiatahsnié:nen’ akonwennehià:ron’ naotihwá:tsire’. Khé:re ki’ nà:’a sha’oié:ra tsi wa’keniweientéhta’ne’ ki’. Otihsótha’ ki’ tóka’ nontá:we’ tsi wa’keniweientéhta’ne’.
Iontkehrontáhkhwa’ ionatekhwahráhtsherote’ ne Indian Village tsi nón: niionatkè:ron tsi nahò:ten’ ionón:ni. Tekenitsi’nehtará:rons tsi nikarì:wes ionatkè:ron tsi nahò:ten’ ionón:ni. Rotinatahré:nen shes enthontáweia’te’ Nentákta tánon’ Awentatokenhtì:ke. É:so shes rá:ti Tiohtià:ke nithonnéhtha’. Murray Hill iakoia’takarénies ronatíten.
Skátne tenkenitsi’nehtará:ron’ ne tekeniiáhse tiatate’kèn:’a, entiatkè:ron’ tsi nahò:ten’ ionón:ni tánon’ skátne tekeninónniahkwe’. É:so tsi ákta íkene’skwe’.
Sewatié:rens akhsótha’ eniontkátston’ tánon’ tohkára nikáksake ieniontathawíhten’ nontate’kèn:’a. Né: shà:ka tsi nenié:iere’ nontate’kèn:’a. Kwah ísi’ nón:we niioiánere’ tsi ní:tsi tionatenróhon. Shakotiièn:’a ónhte’ nontá:we’ thí:ken tsi tho niiotirihò:ten.
É:so ó:nen iá:kon ken’ nitiakoièn:sa teiakóhkwen ne taietsi’nehtará:ron’ ase’kén ótia’ke tiakó:ien’s iontaterihonníen:ni oh ní:tsi tho naié:iere’. Tontá:we’ ki’. Ken’ nitiakoién:ha kheionhwatèn:’a ionhtahkón:nis nahtahkwa’ón:we tánon’ tenietsi’nehtará:ron’ nahtahkwà:ke.
Tektsi’nehtará:rons ni’ nì:’i nek tsi iah ki’ tho té:ioht. Enkenòn:wenhte’ nì:’i.