We are no longer sovereign
Geraldine's Mother Greta Beauvais, Geraldine, and Young Gary Delormier pose in Kahnawà:ke early 1950s. (Courtesy: Laurie Delormier)
Story told by Geraldine Standup
We are no longer sovereign. And what is my understanding from my grandparents is that we are sovereign at birth just by the fact of birthing, you are sovereign. And that sovereignty gets taken away from you by people of a different mind.
So, we really need to understand to what degree we are colonized. And we need to begin the process of decolonizing ourselves. And that requires us to go back to step 1.
Step one is the spiritual realm where we all come from.
It is important to understand our people’s thoughts on the spiritual realm. So, that’s what I do in my teachings. I am teaching our understanding to help you to live a good life, to help you to learn how to bring abundance into your life as opposed to attracting some heavy-duty negativity.
KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION
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KANIEN’KÉHA VERSION ↓
Iah ki' tetsakwatáthawe' nòn:wa
Geraldine Standup IAKOKÁ:RATON
Iah ki' tetsakwatáthawe' nòn:wa. Tánon' tsi ní:tsi ionke'nikonhraientahstén:ni ionkhsótha', iakwatáthawe' tsi ionkwanakerá:ton. Tsi sanakerá:ton, satáthawe' ki' wáhi. Nok akò:ren ki' nen' nè:'e né:ne teionte'nikonhratíhen eniesáhkhwa' tsi satáthawe'.
Ó:nen'k káti' tsi akwáh enionkwa'nikonhraién:ta'ne' tó: niió:re tsi teionkhi'nikonhrakénnion. Tánon' ó:nen'k tsi entiakwatáhsawen' aonsaiakwatia'takwe'ní:iohste'. Tánon' né: kari'wanóntha' naonsaiakwáhkete' ne tsi tiotáhsawe'.
Karonhià:ke ki' nen' nè:'e ne tsi tiotáhsawe' tánon' tho ki' nón:we akwé:kon nitionkwé:non.
Iorihowá:nen aiako'nikonhraién:ta'ne' ontionkwe'ta'shòn:'a tsi nihoti'nikonhrò:ten ne karonhià:ke. Tho káti' nitiéhrha' tsi kherihonnién:ni. Kherihonnién:ni tsi ní:tsi ionkwa'nikonhraién:ta's néne aiesaia'takéhnha' ne skén:nen ahsónhnheke', aiesaia'takéhnha' nahseweientéhta'ne' oh ní:tsi karihwí:io's aontahserò:roke' né:ne iá:we karihwáksen's aontahsatihéntho'.
Translation by Sahawisó:ko' Arquette