Remembering everyone’s favourite jokester

Joseph Tekaroniake “Dega” Lazare loved the metal band Korn. It was fitting, then, that Lazare chose to go out in style, decked head to toe in Korn merch at his wake, per his own wishes.

“He had their socks, shoes, the track pants, the shirt, the t-shirt, everything,” said Lazare’s auntie, Sharon Lazare Goodleaf. She said that her nephew, a life-long fan of the band, had told the group he was sick.

“They said, when you’re gone, we want you to be comfortable. So he didn’t wear our traditional outfit or his suit or anything, he wore what the band sent him.”

Described by many as the life of the party and the brightest energy in the room, Lazare passed away at the age of 40 last month after deciding to stop dialysis. He was surrounded by his family and friends when he passed - only a small portion of the countless people in Kahnawake who loved him.

Lazare was known by everyone in Kahnawake as a jokester, a reputation that his cousin, John Dee Delormier, said has been true since he could first walk and talk. “You’re talking extremely funny from a very, very young age, maybe three or four years old and being able to make an entire group of adults laugh,” Delormier said. When Lazare was with his beloved older brother Nicky, the two were known for being a comedy duo.

“It was better than any SNL skit I’ve ever seen,” said Delormier. “The hardest I’ve ever laughed was with Dega and Nicky.” Lazare loved to make people laugh, and most often he liked to do that on the big screen, working on countless movies and TV shows throughout the years, including on his own successful animated show, By the Rapids. It ran on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) from 2008 to 2012, featuring many of his family and friends.

“He was successful, which was incredible, and on top of that, he took us along for the ride,” Deere said. “We always said it as kids, ‘Whoever makes it first brings the rest of us along with them,’ and he stayed true to that pact. Because he wanted to. He didn’t have to.”

From a young age, Lazare had a natural flair for filmmaking and theatre. His best friend, Brady Cross, met him when they were in grade school, and the two attended summer drama camp together.

“He was always the natural scene-stealer, I was just happy I got to pair up and hang out with him throughout the day camp sessions,” Cross said. Lazare got his hands on an old camera from a family member and started filming stunt movies and skits in his backyard, which would be rounded off with a barbeque meal courtesy of Lazare’s mother, Esther Sky.

“Those early days in the backyard were some of my favourite memories,” said Cross, who added that the filmmaking community hopes to hold some kind of event to honour him in the next year, with ideas being floated of setting up an award for young filmmakers.

“I can honestly say I would not have become interested and built my own career in multimedia and videography if not for those early days in Dega’s backyard.”

Dega’s filmmaking landed him in places like Utah for the renowned Sundance Film Festival, and Toronto, but despite his work getting him recognized on an international level, Dega never forgot his roots. His auntie, Robin Sky, said his filmmaking was always about his community.

“He wanted to pour open his heart for a better way to express himself in his love for his family and community,” she said. “I’m so proud of his vulnerability to push the limits. He definitely made an impact, and I’ll miss him dearly.”

His cousin Caira Karihwenháwi Nicholas said she always looked up to Dega immensely, listening as he made up characters and stories to regale the family, captured in countless videos and voice notes he sent them.

“I’m so grateful that he left behind so many videos and recordings for us to treasure,” she said. “Our late grandmother Velma Goodleaf would’ve sung him the song ‘Unforgettable’ by Nat King Cole when he was little and she was alive, and it’s just the perfect way to describe him, truly unforgettable.”

Dega handled every situation with gentleness and respect, said Neil McComber, who worked with him at the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) public relations unit.

“He very deeply cared about his community, his family, and the work he was doing, and he was so, so funny, but he didn’t just tell jokes all day,” McComber said.

One memory that stands out was when Dega made a video tribute to the late MCK grand chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton when he died.

“He stayed up all night. He put in all this extra effort to make sure that video was the best it could be,” McComber said. “And it was serious, and it was exceptional.”

Before his death, Dega planned everything, including his funeral, his wake, and his will. He wanted to make things as painless as possible for his family, which Goodleaf said was classically Dega.

“He wanted to protect everybody, so nobody had to worry, we just had to live out his wishes, and we did,” said Goodleaf, who said she’s reassured thinking about Dega being reunited with friends and family in the Sky World. “I’m sure he’s up there bugging them,” she joked. “I hope he’s up there having a damn good time.”

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