By Story told by: Nick Huard, Written by: Simona Rosenfield – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door, Translation by: Katsenhaién:ton Lazare
March 10, 2023
I can give you a story right now because it’s floating in my head. They took us away from home, and they brought us to rez school – well, it was a seminary – where we were in service. After a month, they told us that everybody back home had died because of a big sickness. And in turn, they told back home that we had died.
We were dead. We had no family to go to.
So, the first day, well of course when you hear news like that, you’re crying. This sudden realization that you’re alone in the world. And as a matter of fact, we thought we were the only three Indians left in the world.
The first day they let it go by, but the second day, if you cried you got beaten up.
“We’ll give you a reason to cry!” Wack!
So we found a way to mourn that was okay with us, that was when it rained. Because when it rains, nobody knows you’re crying. So every time that it rains, it reminds me of my grandmother. It reminds me of the time back in Jonquiere. I like the rain.
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Enkonkaratón:hahse’ ki’ kwah ó:nenk áse’ken nè:’e ki’ khok kanonhtónnion. Iotohétston sha’onkhi’nónksha’ tsi tionkwanónhsote tánon tsi ionterihwaienhstáhkhwa’ ia’onkhiia’ténhawe’. Ne akwáh nè:’e ratihénstatsi tsi thonterihwaienhstáhkhwa’, tsi nón:we tiakhirihwawà:se’skwe. Sewenhnì:ta shón:we’, wa’onkhihró:ri tsi akwé:kon wahonníheie’ ne onkwahwá:tsire, tiok nahò:ten kahnhra’kó:wa wahonáhsehte iá:ken. Sok wahonwatihró:ri tsi ì:’i ki’ ó:ni wa’akwénheie’.
Akwé:kon ónhte ionkwenheiòn:ne. Iah káneka teionkwahwatsiranákerahkwe.
Shontontenhniseratié:renhte’, wè:ne ki nà:’a, tsi nó:nen nè:’e thok niiorihò:ten ahserihwà:ronke’, tahsahsénhtho’. Ok thitiawenstsì:’on sattó:ken tsi sonha’tsíwa ne ken’ tsi ionhontsá:te. Tánon iakwéhrahkwe ó:ni tsi ì:’i khok iationha’tsíwa tsi nihá:ti ne Onkwehón:we.
Tiotenhniseratierénhton wa’onkhiríhon’, sok sha’óhrhen’ne’ tóka’ tahsahséntho’, eniesanonwen’serário’.
“enkón:ion’ ne orì:wa tsi nontié:ren ó:nenk se’ nahsátiere” Táwh!
Wa’akwaterien’tatshén:ri’ oh ní:ioht ió:wis onkwarihwà:ke aionkwatshen’niónhkwen’. Thó:ner wa’okén:nore. Áse’ken nó:nen iokennó:ron, iah ónhka teiakoterièn:tare tóka’ tesahsénthos. Tiótkon nó:nen eniokén:nore sewakehiahrahkwén:nis ne akhsótha. Sewakehiahrahkwén:nis ne tsi Janquiere shitkaterihwaiénhsthahkwe. Wakon’wéskwani nó:nen iokennó:ron.
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