Ceremony held for pandemic language grads 

When Wakenhnhiióhstha Montour left Kanien’kéha Ratiwennahní:rats in 2020, she never expected a belated graduation ceremony would be held four years later, but that’s exactly what happened this past Friday at the Longhouse. 

Five former students from the 2020 graduating class took part, using it as a chance to catch up and reminisce about their time spent together at the two-year Kanien’kéha immersion program.

“It was a pretty cathartic feeling, finally being able to put a proper closure to our Ratiwennahní:rats experience. Our in-person learning was cut short because of COVID, so I’m so glad we finally came together to acknowledge the hard work we all put in,” said Montour, now a social studies and culture mentor with the Kahnawake Education Center (KEC). 

The event kicked off around 11 a.m. with an opening speech from Lisa Phillips, executive director of the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KOR), which runs the program. Instructors Ro’nikonhkátste’ Tony Norton and Tehokwiráthe’ Cross spoke as well before each former student was invited up to share a word with the crowd gathered, which included current students. 

“I work with some of my old classmates within the KEC, and it was nice that they were acknowledged for all the work within language and culture revitalization they’ve been doing since we ended our studies,” Montour said. “I'm so proud of my classmates, they work so hard and they’re really amazing people.”

A luncheon was hosted afterwards at the Kahnawake Legion Hall, complete with pie, turkey, and stuffing. 

“It felt like old times,” said Sahawisó:ko' Arquette, who now works as a translator for Sharing Our Stories, where he gets the chance to translate elders and knowledge keepers' stories from English into Kanien’kéha. 

The celebration wouldn’t have been possible without Iawenhontsaiéshon Peterson McGregor, he said, who came up with the idea to host the belated graduation.

“She was a big catalyst in the communication between us, the people that were in the class, and the KOR to coordinate and get us the graduation that we missed out on,” he said. 

She unfortunately couldn’t attend after suffering a minor injury, but said she was elated to hear how much her former classmates got out of it. 

She said she still found a way to mark the occasion that same day alongside her grade three students at Karonhianónhnha Tsi Ionterihwaienstáhkhwa.  

“I was with my group of students, and they made the day totally worth it. They gave me my own little graduation here with one of my other coworkers who was part of that graduating class,” Peterson McGregor said. “We just spent a day together, talking and laughing and in the language.”

Asked about what kind of advice she’d give to someone currently going through the program, she said to just “keep going, no matter how hard it gets.

“Ask for help. There's always somebody who's going to help you, even when it feels impossible, there's always a hand that's reaching out to you.”

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