Niawenkowa Akwesasne tonoh Tsisnaihne

Niawenkowa Akwesasne tonoh Tsisnaihne

I just wanted to say how lucky I am to have been raised in Snye and Akwesasne. It is a community that helps each other in times of need and sorrow. It’s a community that volunteers and helps each other. I am proud to say that I grew up in Snye. Its amazing to see the development of the Rec Hall, with the outdoor lacrosse box, splash park, beach volleyball, walking path, reading center to honor Teacher Terry, along with the annual events including the Christmas Tree Enchantment. Its easy to volunteer for such a great organization with amazing members.

When my Dad took his journey in 2017, we all went through such an emotional time. The Recreation Committee organized a Snye Bums Ball Tournament and meal for this original Snye Bum from the late 1960’s. It was fun for my age group to get back together one last time in 2017. I never had to fight so hard to hold back tears when the kids had an exhibition 2 inning game and donated $5 each to my mother. I don’t think I could talk for the next 20 minutes. That is the spirit of Snye.

I have gotten far more out of volunteering than the recreation has gotten from me. I was very happy to apply for Ontario grant money when the fire destroyed the old Snye Rec. and the insurance didn’t quite cover everything that was needed. I asked Mae if it would be Ok to put in an application on behalf of Snye Rec. She agreed and we got approval and the difference needed for the new building was covered. When the Ontario government came to see the results and report, we didn’t bother to tell them that they were in Quebec. The woman who came here got emotional as she saw the activities and asked if she could take pictures? I said that “I don’t think anyone cares”. Families were working on gingerbread houses, and other kids were doing some crafts with “Tota Ma” Josephine Lazore, and she was instructing in Mohawk. The woman said, “This is exactly what our fund is for” and some of the photos made it onto the Ontario website for that year.

I have never minded helping others, buying tickets of any kind or making a donation for anyone who asks. I never believed that one day my name would be on a poster. We were supposed to spend about 10 days here in Akwesasne, and that has turned into a bit better than two months. If there was any place I had to spend time away from my adopted home of the Upper Nicola reserve, in BC, it would be Snye with family and friends. What started with me not feeling myself, became a trip to emergency in Kingston. The Doctor said, “the EKG doesn’t look right, and your stent might be failing”. We are going to keep you and do an angio to see what’s wrong. Once the angio was done the lady said, well, “you have a genetic reason for this shrinking of the arteries. We are likely to do a double or triple bypass”. They said I didn’t have a second heart attack, but it was a good warning for us to have a look at what is wrong. I was in the hospital in Kingston for nearly two weeks and lucky to be near a heart institute when I was not feeling well.

I did not put my heart surgery on Facebook as I was not looking for attention. I was going to keep it quiet as possible in a really large First Nation. The old fashioned Rez Moccasin telegraph still got the word out. I was very surprised to see a poster with my name on it as the Snye Recreation decided to do a fundraiser for me. They said, “We take care of our own and we have your back”. It makes an apple in your throat to get unexpected assistance from someone who is not one to ask for help.

I have many people to thank for the fundraiser in Snye. First and foremost, I would like to thank the Snye Recreation Committee, who organized the event. I would like to thank the volunteers who cooked or sold tickets. The food is always great, and a delicious meal of Steak and Cornbread was served. I would like to thank everyone for their generous donations for the Mohawk Auction. Some of these donations were hand made with love. I would like to thank all Akwesasronon that bought tickets or a plate of food. I am overwhelmed with emotion for the support that was received from the community and organized by the awesome Snye Recreation Committee.

Niawenkowa from Vaughn & Collette Sunday