My father, he had a rough English. He came running down in the morning and, he says, “Something happened to your mother.”

I ran upstairs and I went, and sure enough, she was cold. Passed away during the night. And that’s the last thing she said: she was so happy to be home.

She was my role model. All the nurses that she had at the hospital, the doctor, everybody that knew her while she was in the hospital, they all came to see her, because they wanted to pay their last respects to a person that was such a role model.

She was in the hospital, never a complaint. Never asked for anything that was beyond, and if she could do it herself, she would. That’s part of what I have in me as DNA.

But, being nosey, she had the cast on her arm, and we asked the undertaker for a favour. I said, “She’s been having that thing from January to June. Can you do her a favour and take it off her, so she doesn’t take that with her?”

And so they took the cast off her arm and put her arm in a plastic sleeve. Of course, she had her dress on and everything, so it covered it. But you could tell that she had a plastic sleeve.

Nobody was there, it was a quiet time…

*

Rake’níha, iah kwah tehahrónhkhahkwe’ ne Tiohrhèn:sha. Ohrhón’ke tahatsnénhtahkwe’, tánon’ wahèn:ron’, Ok na’akoià:tawen’ ne sa’nisténha.”

Wa’tkaráhtate’ kanonhsoharà:ke ia’keráthen’, tánon’ kanekhé:re, iowísto ne akoieròn:ta’. Wa’ontóhetste’ tsi niwahsón:tes. Tánon’ ne ohna’kénhaton wa’ì:ron’: tsi akwáh tsi niiakotshennón:ni aie’terón:take’.

Akaónha nen’ nè:’e takheweiennanòn:we’ne’. Akwé:kon tsi nikón:ti ne tekóntshnie’, ne ratétsen’ts, akwé:kon tsi nihá:ti shakotiienté:ri tsi tehshakotitsèn:tha’ shitiè:teron, tahshakonatken’sè:ra’ nè:’e tsi rón:nehre’ énska shé: taonsahshakotinonhwerá:ton’ tsi ienonwaweiénhen.

Tie’terón:tahkwe’ tsi tehshakotitsèn:tha’, nok iah ki’ othé:nen teiakorihwaka’tèn:’en. Iah nonwén:ton ísi’ nón:we teiakori’wanón:ton, tóka’ ni’ tóka’ eniekwé:ni’ akaonhà:’ak othé:nen naié:iere’, tho nenié:iere’. Iah thiátiere’ tsi sekhé:ieren tsi niieweiennò:ten’ ne ake’nisténha.

Nek tsi, iakwatáthare se’, shé:kon teken’tarawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke, nok wahshakwari’wanón:tonhse’ ne renheion’tahserón:ni tóka’ aón:ton’ ahshonkwarì:wawa’se’. Wa’kì:ron’, “Tsothóhrha’ tsi niió:re Ohiarí:ha sha’teken’tarawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke. Enwá:ton’ ken enhseríhsi’ tsi teken’tarawèn:’e ne tóhsa iaiéhawe’?”

Né: ká:ti wahatiríhsi’ tsi teken’tarawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke nok ionehwahkarí:io wa’thatihwawèn:’eke’ ienentshà:ke. Iakote’whahsó:ron se’ tánon’ iakotia’tahserón:ni nè:’e wa’o’rhó:roke’. Nek tsi shé:kon wá:tons ahsáttoke’ tsi ionehwahkarí:io tekahwawèn:’e ne ienentshà:ke.

Iah ónhka tho tétien’skwe’, tha’teiotó:te…

Story told by: Amelia McGregor, Written by: Simona Rosenfield - Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Translation by: Sahawisó:ko’ Arquette, The Eastern Door