STORIES / Okara’shòn:’a

Forcibly removed
Discrimination, Land, Sovereignty Emma McLaughlin Discrimination, Land, Sovereignty Emma McLaughlin

Forcibly removed

The people of Kanehsatà:ke were brutalized by the Seminary of St. Sulpice. The sulpicians were a society of priests from France, rich blue bloods filled with evil and greed. They were so rich that they could hire their own security forces to go in to violate and harass our people. Their goal was to get our people to leave our land.

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The baddest boy
Family, Personal Aaron McComber Family, Personal Aaron McComber

The baddest boy

Once when I was younger I was playing hockey every day after school and asked my father, “Baba, can you buy me new skates?” He said, “Just keep on doing what you’re doing, going to get the milk on the farm, going to get the water, and maybe one day you’ll get it.”

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Sound like my ancestors
Education, Language Aaron McComber Education, Language Aaron McComber

Sound like my ancestors

After fourth grade they made a new school called Salmon River school. All of a sudden we’re going to school there now. We didn’t know that white kids were going to be there, we never went to school with white kids before.

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Tioweró:ton

Tioweró:ton

In the fall, we would go up to hunt. At night, the hunters would come down and tell us they got a moose, and the men would head up to help. It was a lot of work. We would cut the moose into pieces so that each man can carry a piece of the moose out of the bush. I was always excited to go because those who helped would get moose meat and have a party or celebration after we were done.

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Life on the farm
Family, Sustainability Owen Mayo Family, Sustainability Owen Mayo

Life on the farm

We grew food that would be used for our survival. In the mornings we would go out and clean the barn, get eggs and those types of things, then head back to the house for breakfast. We were not rich but we were never hungry. In our crawl space, we had everything we needed like potatoes, carrots, and turnips.

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Don't tell Brisebois
Education, Indian agent, Kahnawake history Melissa Stacey Education, Indian agent, Kahnawake history Melissa Stacey

Don't tell Brisebois

When I signed up for my courses, the woman from Sir George Williams College took out this ledger and said, “You’re one of the first to sign up from Indian Affairs. Here’s a voucher. Go get all of the books you need and give me the voucher when you’re done.” So, I did that. She must’ve sent the bill to Ottawa and they gave it to Brisebois.

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Always something
1990 Crisis, Discrimination Kassidy Jacobs 1990 Crisis, Discrimination Kassidy Jacobs

Always something

There was another time when it was a hot day, and our bus was taking us down St. Germain Road to the back of the monastery where we were supposed to be meeting government officials for another day of negotiations. When we arrived, the SQ was there waiting for us.

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Ice water in our veins
1990 Crisis Kassidy Jacobs 1990 Crisis Kassidy Jacobs

Ice water in our veins

Our big negotiation was that we wanted food and medicine let in passed the barricades, as well as international observers. When we talked to news reporters about these demands and concerns, they took it as us saying we just wanted all of the land back. They totally misconstrued everything.

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Those guns won’t stop me
Personal, Family, 1990 Crisis Emma McLaughlin Personal, Family, 1990 Crisis Emma McLaughlin

Those guns won’t stop me

In 1990, we didn’t have any supplies in Kahnawà:ke because of the blockades. My husband Jimmy had a boat and my sister, Melissa, wanted to go shopping so Jimmy said, “Well okay Mel, get in my boat and I’ll take you.” She got on at Johnson’s Beach, and when they were halfway to the store, they had to land where the old movie theatre was in Dorval.

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Could've died
Personal, Spirituality, St. Lawrence River Emma McLaughlin Personal, Spirituality, St. Lawrence River Emma McLaughlin

Could've died

When I was a kid, I remember seeing the older women, the grandmothers, swimming in the river. They were very modest and they wore handmade black dresses, even for swimming. I think they would jump into the river behind the church and float way out in the middle of the river. We could hear them laughing and laughing, floating down with their dresses that would make an air bubble around them.

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The mighty St. Lawrence river

The mighty St. Lawrence river

The St. Lawrence River played an important role in our daily lives, especially for families living by the riverside in the old village area of Kahnawake. On sunny nice days, community women would go down to the shore and wash laundry with large bar soap and scrub boards in hand and children in tow.

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Kanoronhkwáhtshera'
Kahnawake history, Religion, Culture Emma McLaughlin Kahnawake history, Religion, Culture Emma McLaughlin

Kanoronhkwáhtshera'

At the revival of the Mohawk language, people wanted to learn their language and their culture. The more they would learn, the more they would say, “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with who I am, there’s nothing wrong with me. There is nothing wrong with the way Shonkwaia’tíson’, or God, has made me. I am perfect just the way I am.”

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Living that dream
Religion, Personal, Spirituality Emma McLaughlin Religion, Personal, Spirituality Emma McLaughlin

Living that dream

I met Onkwehón:we who didn’t even speak English all the way from Manitoba, BC, and other Western provinces. Many came to me and said, “I got no education. I never went to school. But I worked in my community for many years. I know my culture, I know my traditions, I know my history, and I know the church.”

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