STORIES / Okara’shòn:’a
Farm abundance
My father was laid back, a man of not many words. When I was younger, I asked him, “What did you do during the depression?" He looked at me kind of funny. He had a habit of kind of shrugging his shoulders.
Rhubarb fields
I grew up on a farm, the Bordeau farm, which was in the family since the 1800s. My late grandfather, he passed in 1948, somehow had secured a contract with Nathan Steinberg of the Steinberg chain of grocery stores.
Stone foundation
When I was a kid, we used to go walking under the bridge along the train bridge towards the farms in 9C area. They used to cut the hay in this neighbourhood, and when I bought this property here, I found a bull horn in the grass.
Cows, fruits, vegetables, and farms
In the area, people were growing rhubarbs, apple trees, and any kind of currents, berries, and everyone had gardens. We’d go all the way out, past the golf club, over the tracks. There were other farms there.
When the sap is going good
I used to work on maple syrup in Ganienkeh in 1977 till 1984. I had 1500 taps that I would tap myself. I started in February when there’s still snow on the ground and I had to go through every tree, drilling the holes, putting in the plastic taps that go down to the lines.
Jars of maple candy
In Ganienkeh, the Warchief, who was the main guy for maple, used to tell me, “Boil it longer”, because he didn’t like the fancy grade A syrup. It’s too light.
Uncle Ugly
I just had a Zoom meeting with the department of youth protection. They want me to work with the kids. It's a big emotional investment, and reminds me a lot of my own past, being taken away.
Mohawk names
Growing up, we only used the Mohawk language so when I started going to Kateri School in Kahnawake, I only knew maybe half a dozen words of English. So I had a hard time.
The kind of work I do
My last iron job was in 2004 in Sorel. That was when I was having problems with my lower hernia. I had to have surgery.
A little bit of trouble
Most of the children in immersion came from English speaking families, and there were people out there with second language, but few. So, we had to be very strict in the school, that it was total immersion.
A special time
After a few years in the classroom, I became principal of Karonhianónhnha Immersion School. Oh my goodness, those were the days.
Running water
When I was a little kid growing up, we had electricity, but we didn’t have running water. It was emptying the shit pail, having to carry water, having to do chores, all of those kinds of things.
TV and radio
When I came into the world in 1957, Kahnawake had already gone through a lot of changes compared to my mom’s time. Back then, everybody spoke Mohawk.
Before the seaway
The swimming area for young people was what they called ‘the wharf’. It was in front of the hospital, about where the water filtration plant is today.
Rubbed off
Way back when, I think the community was closer than what we are now. It’s still close, but there was more respect at that time. I guess we put money first, before anything else.