Tobacco
Credit: Simona Rosenfield
Story told by Joe McGregor
When you practice medicine, you need to be by yourself. You can pray the way you want to pray. Some people just make a fire.
Us Onkwehón:we, Native people, we don’t have the same things non-Natives have. We’re really directed for heaven. When we do something, we always look up there. That’s why we make the fire here.
You’ll see when you make the fire here, and the smoke will go up. You’ll see it’s erratic, when it’s erratic, that means you’re not a good person. It’s gonna tell you that you don’t deserve to. You will see.
If you make that fire, even if it’s small, and the smoke is going straight up this way, that’s the time, you got an answer. When the smoke rises black and everything, it’s not a good time for you.
That’s how I learned. I just sit there and talk to myself.
I say, “What do you do, who you are, who am I? What am I honoured for? What am I good for? What can I do for people or for animals?”
This is very important.
Oien’kwa’ón:we
Tobacco is an important traditional medicine that Joe McGregor uses to pray and show his gratitude to the Creator. (Courtesy: Queenie McComber)
Joe McGregor roká:raton
Nó:nen sateweiénstha’ onónhkwa’, ó:nen’k tsi sonhà:’ak enhshè:sheke’. Entehsanónhton’ oh ní:ioht tsi enhsaterén:naien’. Ótia’ke nek enionttsenhón:ni’.
Ì:’i iationkwehón:we, iah ne shá:ka teionkwá:ien tsi nahò:ten’ rotí:ien ne iah tehonnonkwehón:we. Karonhià:ke se’ken iakwatia’tinehtáhkhwa’. Nó:nen othé:nen eniakwaterihwahténtia’te’, tió:konte tho ia’teiakwakà:nere. Né: arihón:ni kèn:’en iakwattsenhón:nis.
Enhsatkáhtho’ nó:nen enhsattsenhón:ni’ ne kèn:’en, tánon’ è:neken enwatien’kwarakará:tate’. Enhsatkáhtho’ tsi teioni’tón:ni tsi ní:ioht, nó:nen teioni’tón:ni tsi ní:ioht, né: kén:ton tsi iah tehsonkwehserí:io. Ensahró:ri’ tsi iah tha’tesatén:tshon.
Ensató:kenhse’.
Tóka’ enhsattsenhón:ni’ ne tho, akwé:kon ni’ tóka’ ken’ niwà:’a, nok ne oièn:kwara’ è:neken iottakwaríhsion tsi iotharatatonhátie’ ken’ ní:tsi, eh tho nikahá:wi, tesarihwa’serakwén:ni. Nó:nen enwatien’kwarakará:tate’ tánon’ kahòn:tsi tsi ní:ioht, iah teioiánere sarihwà:ke ne tho nikahá:wi.
Tho ní: ní:tsi wa’keweientéhta’ne’. Kwah nek tho kítskote tánon’ katahthará:ni.
Ká:ton, “Oh nihshiéhrha’, ónhka ní:se, ónhka nì:i? Oh nontié:ren tsi ionkerihwakweniénhstha’ tsi ní:ioht tsi teionkkà:nere’? Oh nahò:ten’ kerihwáhsta’? Oh nahò:ten’ wá:tons nakheié:ra’se’ ne onkwe’shòn:’a tóka’ ni’ ne katshenen’ó:kon?”
Kwah í:ken tsi iorihowá:nen ne kí:ken.