(Courtesy Esmond Choueke)
(Courtesy of Rosemary Two Rivers)
Onwá:ri Two-Axe Earley ie’nikonhra’shátstehkwe’ taierihón:ni’ taontté:ni’, ok ki’ shé:kon só:tsi é:so iá:kon iah tekonwaienté:ri ónhka ne nakáonha. Nè:’e tewatteniónhe’.
Kahnwa’kehró:non Courtney Montour naonhà:’a tiakokarasé’stsi teióia’ks, Mary TwoAxe Early: I am Indian Again, sha’teka’shátste tsi ní:ioht.
Wa t e r i h w a t e w e i è n : t o n teióia’ks wátston akáhson, Two-Axe Early tsi nitiawé:non tsi iakorihwahskehnhà:’on oh naiá:wen’ sha’taiá:wen’ne’. Montour tionhtkà:wa’s ne è:neken tsi aiontathsennakará:tate’ ne iakón:kwe, tsi ní:ioht akénhake’ ákte’ kanakerahserakè:ron, iah nek ne Kahnawà:ke – tsi nón:we kwah skena’shòn:’a tsi shakoti’nikonhrhen’enhátie’. Tánon’ iohnhá:ten’t nè:’e.
(Courtesy NFB)
Ok nakaié:ren aiakohsennakará:tate’ kaná:takon, né:ne ón:kwe aiakawehiahráhkwen’ tsi ní:kon iakohskehnà:’on.
“Né: kí:ken teióia’ks Onwá:ri akó:wen,” wa’ì:ron’ Montour. “Ionkhihthará:ni, ionkhihonkará:- wi skátne akotekhwahrahtsheraktóntie aietewanitskó:ten’ tánon’ aiethiiatkaratahónhsatate’. Iah tewakè:ron atió’tate’ tsi niiotkwá:ton kí: teióia’ks tsi kathrórianions tsi nikaká:res. Khé:ken, wa’kanonhtónnionhwe’ tsi ní:tsi takáttoke’ akorihwà:ke tánon’ tsi nahò:ten kahská:neks akhehró:ri tóka’ shí:ken shé:kon kèn:tho aiaké:sheke’.”
Two-Axe Earley, é:so iá:kon kaná:takon tho ní:tsi iontatienteríhahkwe’ ne Sister aiontatiátsheke’. Onkwe’tà:ke tánon’ kakoráhsera wa’tiehnió:ten’, arenhátien tsi wa’ontatahsénhten’ tánon’ wa’ontathró:ri’ aierihò:kten’ tóka’ iáhten, aionterihwatkáhtho’ – ieiakotkontáhkwen tsi iakohskéhnhen.
Ióhsen tsi ní:tsi kaianerenhseríson ne Indian Act tsi konnonkwehón:we aiotiianerenhsáhton’se’ tóka enhotíniake’ ne iah tehronkwehón:we. Iah tetkarihwaié:ri tho shikahá:wi, tánon iah tetkarihwaié:ri nòn:wa.
Iah tha’teiotonhontsóhon ónhka aiakoianerenhserón:ti’ tóka’ iah tehronkwehón:we enhotíniake’.
Iah tha’teiotonhontsóhon ò:ni’ ónhka taiontatia’tó:rehte’ nek ié:ken tsi niiakonekwenhsò:ten’ – ratihnara’kenhnéha nè:’e, ehtà:ke iontión:nis tánon’ ne aó:wen ne sénha iosnó:re aionkhirihwáhtonhte’.
Onwá:ri roièn:’a Ed rá:wen tsi teióia’ks “Tóhsa nonwén:ton sathón:tat ne ónhka aiesahró:ri tsi iah tehsonkwehón:we.”
Iah nonwén:ton teiakothontá:ton ónhka nè:’e aiontathró:ri’ né: tsi shé:kon iakonkwehón:we arenhátien ónhka tehniiáhse.
“Iorihowá:nen n-Ón:wari akoká:ra ase’kén shé:kon nòn:wa wenhniseraténion tehshakotihà:tha’ konnonkwehón:we tsi nonkwá:ti ne Indian Act tsi nikaianerenhseríson,” iaká:wen Montour. “É:so iá:kon kahwatsiratátie’ Onwá:ri wa’ontatáhseron’ niaiontahsónteren’ ken’ nikaio’tenhserò:ten’. Niiorihowá:nen è:neken aiethihsennakará:tate’ ne konnonkwehón:we tsi ní:kon iotirihwaierí:ton, thiká:te nokara’shòn:’a sha’té:ioht Onwá:ri akoká:ra.
Onwá:ri wa’ontataterí:io’ kakoráhsera oh naiá:wen’ konnón:kwe nok ratiksa’okòn:’a enhotiianerenhseraién:take’. Iakotste’niaròn:ne’ iakótston ka’shatsténhsera, tánon’ kanoronhkwà:tshtera tsi wa’enèn:ri’ne’, sha’té:ioht tsi nòn:wa ieionatkontáhkwen ne ken’ nitiotiièn:- sa,” wa’ì:ron’.
Kaié:ri niiohserá:ke tsi niiò:re wa’kakaríson, wa’ì:ron’ Montour, ase’kén karì:wes iakawentorahkwen’níhne’ taionttókwahte’ tsi nón:we waterihwateweien’tónnion.
“Skáhere’ tewáhsen niiohserá:ke nikarì:wes iontatáhsere ne ierihó’kwats, nek tsi ken’ nikón:ha khók wateweièn:ton
Eastern Door Editor/Publisher Steve Bonspiel started his journalism career in January 2003 with The Nation magazine, a newspaper serving the Cree of northern Quebec.
Since that time, he has won numerous regional and national awards for his in-depth, impassioned writing on a wide variety of subjects, including investigative pieces, features, editorials, columns, sports, human interest and hard news.
He has freelanced for the Montreal Gazette, Toronto Star, Windspeaker, Nunatsiaq News, Calgary Herald, Native Peoples Magazine, and other publications.
Among Steve's many awards is the Paul Dumont-Frenette Award for journalist of the year with the Quebec Community Newspapers Association in 2015, and a back-to-back win in 2010/11 in the Canadian Association of Journalists' community category - one of which also garnered TED a short-list selection of the prestigious Michener award.
He was also Quebec Community Newspapers Association president from 2012 to 2019, and continues to strive to build bridges between Native and non-Native communities for a better understanding of each other.
