By Story told by: Kevin Ka’nahsóhon Deer, Written by: Marcus Bankuti – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Translation by: Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette, Photos: Courtesy Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center archive, The Eastern Door
January 30, 2023
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. For us, that’s how it was. We all had houses for the most part. There were different places where there were pumps, or there was a well where you could carry water.
My parents remembered a different time, because it was a harder life. They didn’t have all of these conveniences, electricity and all of that. My parents would talk about how it was when people had a lot of cows and chickens and pigs and horses. Everybody had gardens in their time. Nobody had lawns. You couldn’t afford to have a lawn. Everybody had to eat, so whatever land you had, you put in your crops, and then people worked together. At fall time, at harvest, they would come together. They would share. Some people had pigs, some people didn’t, but maybe they had more corn, so they would trade it and barter. They did it almost like the Amish, except people started to get electricity now, people started getting running water, so things started to change.
I didn’t grow up with horses and all that. When I came in, it was already all cars and living like a municipality.
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Ken’ shikà:’a shontonkwatehiahróntie’, ionkwathahseriniòn:ton, nek tsi iah teionkwathnekiniòn:ton. Tho shes niiohtòn:ne’ aiakwakahrhaté:ni’ ne ionni’taientáhkhwa’ ón:ta, ó:nen’k tsi wa’akwahnekénhawe’, ó:nen’k tsi wa’onkwaió’ten’ nahò:ten’ ionkwateríhonte, akwé: tho nikarihò:ten’s. Tho niiohtòn:ne’ ne ì:’i onkwarihwà:ke. Thóha akwé:kon ionkwanonhsó:ton. Tsi’k nonwéhshon kaién:tonhkwe’ ne iehnekatahkwà:tha’, tóka’ ni’ tiohnaweró:tonhkwe’ tsi nón: enwá:ton’ enhshnekotsénha’.
Ó:ia’k ní:ioht tsi iontièn:’a ninè:iahre’, ase’kén sénha wentoréhne’ naiakónhnheke’. Iah tehotiién:tahkwe’ akwé:kon nahò:ten’ watiesénhstha’, ken’tonhkwarà:ken tánon’ akwé:kon thí:ken nahò:ten’. Iontièn:’a ahniká:raton’ tsi niiohtòn:ne’ shes nón:kwe rotinahskwakà:tehkwe’ ne tiohnhónhskwaron, kítkit, kwéskwes nok akohsá:tens. Akwé:kon rotihehtaién:tahkwe’ neh tho shikahá:wi. Iah ónhka teiakohontaién:tahkwe’. Iah thahskarakwé:ni’ naiesahontaién:take’. Akwé:kon ó:nen’k tsi wahón:neke’, ne ká:ti’ tsi ní:kon sonhóntsaien, eh tho ahshiéntho’, nok ón:kwe tahatiié:na’. Kanennà:ke, né: kaienthókwen, ahontia’tarò:roke’. Sha’taiakó:wenke’. Ótia’ke rotináhskwaien ne kwéskwes, ótia’ke iahten, nok tóka’ sénha é:so rotinénhstaien tahontá:ton’ ki’. Tho ki’ nihatiiéhrha’ tsi ní:ioht ne Amish, tontáhsawen’ sá:ne ón:kwe aieronwahrónnion’ ó:nen, nok aionthnekínion’te’, eh nontà:we’ tontáhsawen’ wa’tewatté:ni’.
Iah tho ní:tsi tewakatehiahrónhkwen ne akohsá:tens aionkwanahskwaién:take’. Sha’kenákerate’ ok nà:’a ka’serehtaién:tahkwe’ nok kanatowanèn:ne tsi ní:tsi iakónhnhe’.
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