Working on bones
Credit: Simona Rosenfield
Story told by Joe McGregor
My grandmother used to work on bones. Not broken ones because broken ones are very hard to heal but she would work on their muscles. Sometimes people would fight and throw out their arms or they’d be drinking and fall down the stairs. They used to come see her and she’d work on them.
My grandmother was strong like a man and had big, big fingers. She got old and started to get weak on her hands. She wasn’t strong anymore so she taught my father and he took over. He worked on people for quite a few years. Even the RCMP used to come see him. But my father started to get ill and tired.
One day, a woman came in. She had a very bad back and was aching all over. I went and told my father that a woman was here to see him. He was laying down. He just looked at her and said to me, “You do it now, I give it all to you.”
I watched him every time he worked on somebody but it’s not the same when all of a sudden, you’re the doctor. Oh my god, I was shitting my pants how scared I was but I did it. I started to work on her and I asked my father to check and see if I did a good job.
A lot of people liked what I did. White people used to come here from St. Isidore and St. Remi and I would work on them.
Matthew McGregor, Joe’s father, learned to tend to people’s injured muscles from his mother and in turn, passed his skills on to Joe. (Courtesy: Joe McGrergor)
Óhstien’ iakoió’te’
Joe McGregor roká:raton
Aksótha’ shos óhstien’ iakoió’tens. Iah ne teiotstien’tià:kon ase’kénh kwah í:ken tsi wentó:re’ aonsontkwatá:ko’ ne teiotstien’tià:kon. Nek tsi ratimase’tà:ke eniakoió’ten’.
Sewentié:rens ón:kwe enionterí:io’ tánon’ eniakonentshakaré:wahte’. Tóka’ ni’ eniehnekì:ren’ tánon’ kanekotà:ke entieià:ten’ne’. Tehshakonatken’sè:re’skwe’ tánon’ enhonwatiia’tohserón:ko’. Ie’shátstehkwe’ naksótha’ tsi ni’ ne rón:kwe tánon’ teiehsnonhsowá:nen’s. Wa’akokstén:ha’ne’ tánon’ tontáhsawen’ aiotsì:iohske’ ne iehsnonhsa’kéhshon. Iah ó:nen tetse’shátste’ né: ká:ti’ rake’níha wahonwarihónnien’ tánon’ raónha tahaniarotáhrhoke’. Ken’ niiohserá:ke onkwe’shòn:’a wahshakoia’tohserón:ko’. Akwé:kon ne RCMP thonwatken’sè:re’skwe’. Nek tsi tontáhsawen’ ni’ nè:’e wahononhwákten’ nok wa’thahwihsénheie’ ne rake’níha. Sewenhnísera iakón:kwe taiontáweia’te’. Kwah í:ken tsi teiakoteronhkwe’nakárien tánon’ ieia’takwé:kon iakohkará:rens. Wahihrorià:na’ ne rake’níha tsi iakón:kwe ronwatken’sè:re’. Raia’tionníhahkwe’. Kwah nek ia’tehshakotkà:neren’ tánon’ wahakewén:nara’ne’ “í:se’ nòn:wa tho nà:tser, akwé:kon ki’ koniá:wi”.
Thia’teká:konte’ wahiiaterò:roke’ tsi shakoia’tohserónkwas nón:kwe. Nek tsi iah ne shà:ka té: nó:nen thentiawénhstsi’ í:se’ nen’ nè:’e ne satétsen’ts. Thia’karihwakénnia’te’, tsi shí:ken ní:ioht tóka’ katateni’táta’s tsi niió:re’ tsi wakateronhienhtén:ni. Nek tsi wa’kkwé:ni’ ki’. Takatáhsawen’ akheia’tohserón:ko’ tánon wahiri’wanón:tonhse’ ne rake’níha ahátken’se’ tóka’ ken tatié:rite’.
É:so iá:kon wa’akaon’wéskwen’ tsi nà:tiere’ . Kèn:’en shos thonnéhtha’ ne ratihnarà:ken, St. Isidore tánon St. Remi nithoné:non tánon’ enkheia’tohserón:ko’.