Story told by: Nick Huard
I’m a mountain climber. Well, I used to be a mountain climber. As a matter of fact, I filmed the first Canadian ascent of Mount Everest, which was a flop. Two deaths. So, we ended up with no film. We were there to film the peak once they bagged the mountain. But it didn’t happen.
Stan Schwartz calls me up and says, “Nick, you’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
I said, “Nope.”
“Let me call you back.”
A couple hours later, he calls me back. He says, “Are you free from September to November?”
I said, “So far, ya.”
“Let me call you back.”
He calls me back after and says, “Okay, pack your gear. You’re going off to Nepal.”
And I said, “Wha—?”
“You’re doing Everest.”
So, I had to crash-learn how to climb. It was a hell of an expedition. But, then again, all my life has been stuff like that.
There’s a war zone: “Send the Injun.” Well, I went.
There’s a high mountain: “Send the Injun.” I went.
For the Arctic: “Oh it’s too cold, I don’t wanna freeze my ass off. Send the Injun.”
Well, the Injun went, and the Injun came back with a story.
“Sharing Our Stories” is a collection of stories told by Kanien’kehá:ka elders and knowledge keepers rooted in the movement to replant the language, culture, and history of the community in Kahnawake and surrounding areas. The Sharing Our Stories series is being republished in The Gleaner with special permission from The Eastern Door newspaper in Kahnawake – Nia:wen!
