Those are our orders
A look at the barricade atop the Mercier Bridge during the Siege of Kanehsatà:ke, 1990. (Courtesy: Martin Loft)
Story told by Leonard Atonnion Bordeau
During the events of 1990, I was working in Valleyfield at a zinc plant. We used to take the OCR there and back every day.
July 11th was a Wednesday. We got to the four corners right outside the rez on our way back home where we met a few police cars.
They asked who we were and where we were going. We told them we just finished work and were heading back home to Kahnawà:ke. I asked if they could move their car so we can go in.
The police replied, “No, you’re not going in with your car. Those are our orders.”
Luckily my sister had an apartment in Chateauguay down the road, so I parked my car there and we walked back to town on foot.
The next day we were walking back towards the four corners to get my car so we could go to work and these three cops came with their guns drawn. They told us we were not allowed to go through for work.
Some days we couldn’t get out to go to work and some days we weren’t allowed back into town.
On a few occasions, we had to stay at a place in Valleyfield. We couldn’t give them our real names so we told them we were from Lachine or LaSalle.
Later on, we would go to the marina here in Kahnawà:ke, go across the water to Lachine on a boat where my brother-in-law had his car parked and then jump in his car, drive to Valleyfield and work.
At the end of the day, we would come back the same way.
This went on for a few weeks.
I guess the locals had seen a bunch of Mohawks crossing the river because they damaged the marina on the Lachine side so it would make it difficult tie up our boat.
Things were starting to calm down a bit, so they started letting us cross in the morning to get to work.
But every day they would stop us and we would have to show our papers. They would make us pop the hood and pop the trunk.
A few times I’d get mad and would say, “The non-Native media is always stereotyping. It says none of us work, we’re all on welfare, we’re all alcoholics, we’re all on drugs. Here I am trying to get to work, and you are preventing me.”
One night, we tried to get in after work and there were big crowds of like 200 people at all the checkpoints.
We didn’t even try coming in, so we went back to Valleyfield and found a parking lot to stay in.
Maybe two or three in the morning, we heard knocking on the window and we were surrounded by the SQ.
We had to explain that we weren’t able to get back home and who we were. They let us off.
But that was just one of the adventures we had.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Né: ki' ionkhihró:ri
Leonard Atonnion Bordeau poses with his coworker while ironworking in New Jersey in 2001. (Courtesy: Leonard Atonnion Bordeau)
Leonard Atonnion Bordeau ROKÁ:RATON
Tsi nikarì:wes sha'tewa'nikonhrhá:ren' ne tióhton iawén:re tewen'niáwe tióhton niwáhsen shiiohserá:te', Valleyfield tewatió'tehkwe' zinc tsi thonnonnià:tha' nón:we. OCR shes thia'tewenhniserá:ke eniakwathahón:ten' taiakwaterahtánion'.
Ohiarihkó:wa 11 shískare' Soséhne kénhne'. Kaié:ri nikahióhsake nón:we tsi iotená:tate' ne onkwehonwè:ne wa'ákwawe' sha'tontaionkwahtentionhátie' tánon' tohkára ní:kon karíhton raotì:sere wa'tiakwátera'ne'.
Wa'onkhiri'wanón:tonhse' ónhka nì:'i tánon' ka' wa'ákwe'. Wa'akhihró:ri' tsi onhwá'stsi wa'akwáhsa' tsi ionkwaió'te' tánon' Kahnawà:ke saionkwahtentionhátie'. Wa'keri'wanón:ton' tóka' ken aón:ton' é:ren ahatihá:wihte' ne raoti'serehshòn:'a oh naiá:wen' iaiakwatáweia'te'.
Tontahonnì:ron' ne karíhton, "Iahten, iah tesewataweia'tà:ne' ne sewà:sere. Né: ki' wa'onkhihró:ri'."
Wa'onkwatera'swí:iohste' ki' né: tsi akhtsì:'a tsi wa'ohatátie' ne Shahrhè:'on shakotinonhsaníhen, tho káti' ia'kate'seréhtaien' nakè:sere sok ehta'kéhshon ionsaiakwahtén:ti'.
Shonsaióhrhen'ne' kaié:ri nikahióhsake nonkwá: ehta'kéhshon saiákwe' aonsaiakwakóha' nakè:sere oh naiá:wen' aionkwaio'ténhsera' sok kí:ken áhsen nihá:ti karíhton tahón:ne' rotihón:rate'. Wa'onkhihró:ri' tsi iah thaón:ton' taiakwatóhetste' aionkwaio'ténhsera'.
Sewatié:rens iah teiotòn:'on iaiakwaiá:ken'ne' aionkwaio'ténhsera' tánon' sewatié:rens iah teionkhirihwá:wi kaná:takon taontaionkwatáweia'te'.
Tóhka nieioiénhton, ó:nen'k tsi ka'k nón:we ne Valleyfield taiakwanòn:wete'. Iah teiotòn:'on aiakhihró:ri' nahò:ten' tó:kenske ionkhí:iats wa'akhihró:ri' káti' tsi Skaniatará:ti tóka' ni' ne Ionménhne nitionkwé:non.
Ohna'kèn:ke, tsi ionthonwaientáhkhwa' ieniákwe' ne kèn:'en Kahnawà:ke, kahonweià:ke ia'teniakwaniatarí:ia'ke' tsi nón: ontiatióha nitha'seréhtaien' eh thó:ne rao'seréhtakon eniakwatíta' sok Valleyfield ieniakwató:ri' enionkwaio'ténhsera'.
Tsi nenwatenhniserò:kten', sha'teiotierà:ton tentiakwahtén:ti'.
Tohkára niiahia'khserá:ke ken' niiohtonhátiene'.
Khé:re ki' nà:'a ne tho ratinákere' ronwatikénhne' ne é:so rá:ti Kanien'kehá:ka tehotiniatariia'konhátie' né: tsi tho ki' iehonenónhne' tánon' wahontè:ka'te' tsi ionthonwaientáhkhwa' Skaniatará:ti nonkwá: tsi nón: eniakwasharón:ten' ne onkwahonwé:ia'.
Tontáhsawen' aontaio'serón:nenhte' ostón:ha tsi niiawen'hátiene' ne káti' tahontáhsawen' wa'onkhiríhon' ohrhon'kè:ne taiakwatóhetste' aionkwaio'ténhsera'.
Nek tsi thia'tewenhniserá:ke ki' teionkhí:tahste' tánon' ó:nen'k tsi eniakhina'tón:hahse' onkwahiatonhsera'shòn:'a. Enkhiiónnien' aiakwahnhotón:ko' tsi nón: nikanontsistá:ien' nok ohnà:ken nonkwá:ti ne kà:sere.
Tóhka nieioiénhton enwakenà:khwen' tánon' enkì:ron', "Iah tehonnonkwehón:we ratirihó'kwats tánon' thatiià:tara's tió:konte' énska tetionkhikwéktha'. Rón:ton iah ónhka tsi niiátion teionkwaió'te', akwé:kon kaia'takehnháhtshera' iakwaniahé:sen, akwé:kon iakwahnekakà:stha', akwé:kon teiako'nikonhraténie's iakwakà:stha'. Ken' ki' ní: í:ke's kate'niéntha' aontio'ténhsera' tánon' takwaio'tá:ti ki'."
Sewahsón:ta ki' thí:ken, wa'akwate'nién:ten' iaonsaiakwatáweia'te' tánon' tó:k nihatinèn:ra's tóka' 200 nihá:ti akwé:kon tsi ní:kon tsi tehshakotitahstaniónhkhwa' thón:ne's.
Akwé:kon ne iah teionkwate'nién:ten iaiakwatáweia'te' Valleyfield káti' ionsaiákwe' tánon' wa'akwatshén:ri' ka'k nón:we tsi ionte'serehtaientáhkhwa' aiakwanòn:wete'.
Tóka' tékeni' tóka' ni' áhsen shiiohwistà:'e taiohrhen'hátie' wa'onkwathón:te'ne' ónhka taietsiseráia'ke' tánon' teionkhinenhráhnhen ne SQ.
Ó:nen'k tsi wa'akwa'nikonhraién:tahste' tsi iah teiotòn:'on ionsaiónkwa tánon' ónhka nì:'i. Saionkhiiátka'we' ki'.
Nek énska ki' thí:ken tsi ní:kon teionkwatohétston.
Translated by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette