Tekatsi:tsahkhwa
My name is Rebecca, but my Mohawk name that I mostly use is Tekatsi:tsahkhwa which means (picking up flowers). I live in a small community of about 7000 people in Kahnawake which is near the big city of Montreal.
I love to listen to music all the time. If I didn't have music to calm me down all day I don't know what I would do. I like going to concerts, hanging around with friends, and just having a good time.
Aside from doing some volunteer firefighting, and helping around the fire station, I like playing sports for most of my free time. I enjoy painting, and drawing too. I'm going to school to be a special effects artist but right now I'm just making home décor decorations for stores around my community.
I don't pay very much attention to the politics and stuff around here. It's just not my thing, and it doesn't really interest me all that much.
The school that I go to is the only high school in the community. Everyone knows each other here at the school, and the grade eleven students look after the younger grades to make sure they don't do anything stupid like they're not supposed to. Some people don't like other people that go to this school, and sometimes there are the odd fights just like any other school.
I find though that when something very tragic happens at the school or in the community, everyone comes together, puts away their differences, and find ways to help out in any way possible. The issue about Microsoft and our language was something I didn't agree with. I didn't really like the idea of any other people besides us learning our language and being able to come to our community, and speak Kanie'ke:ha to us. Our language is supposed to be our own, and no one else's to learn and take from us. That's my story, that's how it goes, and I'm sticking to it.
