Tourists in town
Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center
Story told by Stephen Silverbear McComber
When we were kids, it seemed like everybody would hang around behind the church. They used to call it the fort. They never really said the church. I remember in the summertime, there’d be a lot of tourist buses that would come. They would go there first. Then after they would go to the Indian Village at Chief Poking Fire.
I remember a lot of the younger girls used to sell souvenirs for some of the old ladies that lived around the neighbourhood. They would get a box and there would be pincushions and little dolls, and they would go sell souvenirs.
Kids would be yelling. They would ask the tourists, “Do you want to hear an Indian song?” So the kids used to sing some kind of Indian songs. I don’t really know what they were, but kids sang these songs, and you got a penny or you got a nickel or you got a dime.
I also remember, at that time, the older boys used to jump off the back of the church. There was a pier there, and they used to jump off, and the tourists used to go down to the water and throw change in the water. The young guys would jump in and dive and get some of that money. I remember that a lot. That’s what went on in the summer. Some of the older teenage guys used to run right off the wall, the fort, and jump right into the canal.
Rotinatahré:nen kaná:takon
Courtesy: Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center
Shiiakwaksa’okòn:’a, á:ienhre’k akwé:kon ohnà:ken na’kanónhsati tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa’ enhonterakénrie’. “The fort” shes ratina’tónhkhwahkwe’. Iah nonwén:ton kwah tehó:nen tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa’. Kè:iahre’ tsi niwakénhnhes, é:so shes iakoia’takarénie’s thonnéhtha’ tehshakotiia’ténhas ne rotinatahré:nen. Tho shes iehonnéhtha’ enthontié:renhte’. Sok tsi Indian Village, Chief Poking Fire ienhón:ne’.
Kè:iahre’ kwah ken’ nikón:ti ne sénha ken’ nitiotiièn:sa iakawehiahrà:tha’ shes enkontkè:ron’ ne tiotí:ien aotirihwà:ke né:ne aktóntie’ konti’terón:tonhkwe’. Entkonti’nerohkwénhawe’ tánon’ ienonwarotáhkhwa’ nok ken’ nikaia’tonnihserà:sa tho watárion, tánon’ iakawehiahrà:tha’ enkontkehròn:na’.
Ratiksa’okòn:’a shes tehotihenréhtha’. Enhonwatiri’wanón:tonhse’ ne rotinatahré:nen, “Ísewehre’ ken aiesewathón:te’ne’ ne Onkwehonwehnéha karén:na?” Né: ká:ti’ ne ratiksa’okòn:’a enhonterennó:ten’ ok na’karennò:ten’ ne Onkwehonwehnéha. Iah kwah tewakaterièn:tare oh na’karennò:ten’s, nek tsi ratiksa’okòn:’a se’ nè:’e ronterennótha’, tánon’ eniesahwíston’ énska kwéni tóka’ ni’ wísk sén:ts tóka’ ni’ oié:ri sén:ts.
Ok ó:ni’ kè:iahre’, ne tho shikahá:wi, ne sénha nithotí:ien ratiksa’okòn:’a awèn:ke ia’tehonni’tsonhkwáhkhwa’ shes ohnà:ken na’kanónhsati tsi ionterennaientáhkhwa’. Tsi iehrahrhóhsthahkwe’ ne tho, tánon’ ia’tehonni’tsonhkwáhkhwa’, nok ne rotinatahré:nen shes ienhóntsnenhte’ atsà:kta tánon’ awèn:ke ienhotihwistón:ti’ ne ken’ nikahwistà:sa. Né: ken’ nithotiièn:sa ia’tenhonni’tsónhkwahkwe’ enhonthón:rohwe’ tánon’ enhatihwistakóha’. É:so ne tho kè:iahre’. Tho nitioterihwatié:ren tsi niwakénhnhes. Ótia’ke ne sénha nithotí:ien the fort tsi wahsónhtote tenhonráhtate’ tánon’ ia’tenhonni’tsónhkwahkwe’ kwah tsi kana’tsheratátie’.
Translation by Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette