Ratihén:te returns from Down Under

Holding koalas, ziplining over a forest, and a tour of the Sydney Opera House are just some of the activities Ratihén:te High School students got to do during their 15-day trip to New Zealand and Australia.

“It was super amazing,” said Kahsennine Nelson, student life animator and one of the chaperones during the trip. “Seeing the kids’ initial reactions to getting off the plane and then going to the hotel and stuff was really cool to see, because it’s totally outside their element.”

In New Zealand, the team did a tour of a Māori village and had the honour of doing the Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen for locals, said Iorahkote Sky, a 16-year-old student who went on the trip.

“That was really cool to see us all trying to do it by heart,” said Sky.

Sky noticed the similarities between the Māori and Mohawk cultures, such as with design, storytelling, matrilineal social hierarchy, and their efforts to revitalize their own culture.

“They want to keep their culture alive, and we’re trying to do that as well,” said Sky.

Also, Nelson noted, the Māori have frybread.

“It was super good,” said Nelson.

During the tour, the team presented a medallion, which was handmade by students, to their Māori tour guide.

“He was pretty happy,” said Nelson. “I think we wish we could have interacted more, maybe if they had elders or something there, and exchanged that with them as well. But it was just him, but he was super appreciative of it.”

The team also did many fun activities like ziplining and going on a luge ride, a downhill go-kart.

“It’s like Mario Kart, but on a hill,” said Sandra Ohiatuk, 16, of the activity she most enjoyed in New Zealand.

Afterwards, the group went to Australia, where they saw an orchestra play in the Sydney Opera House.

“During our tour, one of the Australian symphony orchestras was doing a rehearsal, so we actually got to sit in and listen to their rehearsal,” said Nelson. “I’m not really much of an orchestra person but hearing it in one of their rooms in their theatres was super amazing.”

Students also visited Bondi Beach, an aquarium, and a zoo.

“I got to hold a koala and a snake, and that was cool,” said Sky. “And then I saw a little lizard, and I named him Bob. And then at the souvenir shop, I got a little lizard named Bob.”

As for more souvenirs, students had some extra spending money due to the fundraiser for the trip exceeding their goal.

Sky bought herself Pandora jewelry, including a ring with a sparkly heart-shaped crystal, to remember the trip by.

The trip chaperones went with something a little more permanent. Kanesatake Education Center (KEC) education director Watsenniostha Nelson, Ratihén:te special education technician Emily Bowles, and Nelson each got a tattoo.

“I got a little hammerhead shark, Emily had a starfish, and then Watsenniostha actually got silver fern, which is the main plant in New Zealand,” said Nelson.

The trip was an unforgettable experience that has made her more mature, said Sky, and she recommends future Ratihén:te join the next voyage.

“At first, I was a little scared and excited because Australia - big, deadly, poisonous things all around - but really, like Gus said, we were cautious,” said Sky. “It’s a great opportunity.”

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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter