Rez Potter: A show for sewakwé:kon

The Ratiwennenhá:wi Kanien’kéha language immersion program participated for the first time in the Tetewatierónnion variety show in Kahnawake, presenting a twist on Harry Potter called Rez Potter, including props like giant status cards.

“It was the scene with Dobby, where instead of giving him a sock, they gave him a status card to be able to buy a Cadillac at the band office,” said Samantha Karonhiio Simon, who helped write a scene in Kanienʼkéha for the show. Simon said that while she was there to support and help her classmates, she was a bit too shy to be on stage.

Simon explained that she translated a scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire into Kanienʼkéha with help from her classmates and teachers, and added some local jokes into the script.

“It’s very motivating to see our community teaming up with our sister communities to speak our language,” said Simon. “It’s amazing to see that we’re finally going in a positive direction, to learn our language and immerse ourselves in it.”

Every two years, the Ratiwennenhá:wi Kanien’kéha language immersion program has a new cohort of students, and according to Kawisaienhne Albany, teachers’ aide and curriculum developer at the language school, this cohort was the one to push to be part of the variety show.

“We didn’t force anybody to do it. Some students in class encouraged everybody to participate,” said Albany. “So I told them if we want to do this, everybody has to be involved, and they all were.”

Albany played a key role in the play: special effects.

“We had to improvise something to make the magic, so we used two fishing poles,” said Albany, explaining that they attached things like wizard hats to the fishing line and made them float onto actors’ heads. “So that’s all I did, I stayed in the back and guided them.”

For Albany, participating in the variety show with Kahnawake is a chance to learn new words in Kanien’kéha, as both communities speak in different dialects.

She also shared that now the the Ratiwennenhá:wi Kanien’kéha language immersion program participated in the variety show, there has been talk about bringing back language plays in Kanesatake.

“We used to have them a long time ago, I think before I was born,” said Albany, who explained that sometime in the 1990s, the community held Language Day plays, and people from different communities would come and watch.

“I hope it encourages the next cohort, we have to get out of our comfort zone if we want to learn how to speak,” said Albany.

Karihohetstha Cupples, who played Dumbledore and the lightning bolt, shared that her favourite part of the play was when the Goblet of Fire shattered.

“That was not supposed to happen, but it got a good laugh from the crowd,” said Cupples.

Cupples was one of the people to push for the Ratiwennenhá:wi Kanien’kéha language immersion program to participate in the Tetewatierónnion variety show, as in the past the program has gone to see the play, but never actually participated.

“It’s fun to have representation and do something creative with our language that we’re learning,” said Cupples. “We were all pretty nervous being on stage for the first time, but ultimately everyone had fun and was proud of each other.”

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Fern Marmont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter