Threading the Needle
Andrew Montour poses with his guitar while taking a break on the farm. (Courtesy: Andrew Montour)
Story told by Andrew Montour
When I was seven, eight or nine years old, we had no electricity at our house. All we had was a little oil lamp.
In the winter months, the old ladies would come to our house. I don't know if they were really old ladies. But to me, they were old. There would be a lamp set in the middle of the table and a whole bunch of them would do beadwork.
There used to be a guy that would come from Montreal. He used to have boxes and boxes of leather that’s already been cut for making moccasin vamps. He hired the ladies for piecework. I think maybe it was a shoe factory he worked for that hired them. They would sew flowers and different things on there. They would have stacks and stacks of it. My job was to thread the needles because they had a hard time to see them. I was doing that all the time.
I used to laugh. The old ladies used to smoke. Not smoke but sniff snuff. They’d stick it in their nose then they’d start sneezing. I don’t know why the heck they would do that. They’d pass it around and then they’d start sneezing. That was something, eh. They’re all gone now. They didn’t make much money, but they were getting paid for it. I remember there would be about six of them around the table, working, telling stories, and laughing.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Akhseriie'tohá:ren'
A glimpse of life at the Montour residence. (Courtesy: Andrew Montour)
Andrew Montour ROKÁ:RATON
Tsá:ta, sha'té:kon, tóka' ni' tióhton sha'tewakohseriià:kon, iah thé:nen teionkwateronwarà:rahkwe' ne tsi tionkwanónhsote'. Nek ionkwaién:tahkwe' thí:ken ken' niwà:'a kén:ie watónthos iehahserénhas.
Tsi niwenhni'té:son's nakohserà:ke, néne tiotié:ien's shos entkón:ne' ne tsi tionkwanónhsote'. Iah tewakaterièn:tare' tóka' kwah tokèn:'en tiotiién:tahkwe'. Nek tsi ne akerihwà:ke, tó:kenske tsi tiotiién:tahkwe'. Sha'tewatekhwahra'tsherí:hen shos kahahserà:rahkwe' iehahserénhas tánon' é:so kón:ti tenkontitsi'nehtará:ron'.
Rón:kwe shos Tiohtià:ke nénthrehte'. Kwah é:so kénhnon ra'nerohkwenhá:wi néne ó:nen kakwe'tarónkwen ná:iontste' naiakón:ni' ne ahtahkwahón:we awen'náhson. Wahshakóhnha'ne' ne tiotí:ien's takontitsi'nehtará:ron'. Kwah í:kehre' tóka' tsi ionhtahkonnià:tha' thoió'tehkwe' néne ronónha wahshakotíhnha'ne' ne onónha. Otsi'tsa'shòn:'a tánon' ó:ia' naho'tèn:shon enkonti'níkhon' nahtahkwà:ke. Kwah é:so ioti'tonió:tonhkwe' neh nahò:ten'. Nè:'e wáhi wakaterihón:tahkwe' ne akhseriie'tohá:ren' thí:ken karón:ware' ase'kénh seronhkè:ne ki' wáhi thé:nen akontkáhtho'. Tió:konte' nè:'e wakaterihón:tahkwe'.
Watiéshon shos. Enkonthsó:ko' thí:ken tiotí:ien's. Iah thakonthsó:ko' nek tsi entkonnonriseratihéntho' thí:ken o'nétsta'. Konti'niónhsakon enkonnéta' sok tenioti'tson'kánion'. Kwah iah tewakaterièn:tare' nahò:ten' tiorì:wa' neh nenkontí:iere'. Ienkonnóhetste' ki' sok tenioti'tson'kánion'. Ionehrákwaht eh nahò:ten', wáhi. Ó:nen akwé:kon ionatohétston. Iah é:so tha'tekontèn:tsha'skwe', nek tsi orihwí:io tsi wa'onatkária'khse'. Kè:iahre' ià:ia'k nikón:ti kontítskote' atekhwahra'tsheraktóntie', iotiió'te', iotiká:raton, tánon' iotiiéshon.
Translator Karonhí:io Delaronde