Kanien'kéha teacher who connected to people through the language dies at 77

Candace Maracle · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 7:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Family, friends and colleagues are mourning the nonaccomplishment of a connection teacher who had a large interaction successful Haudenosaunee communities and beyond.

Dorothy Lazore, whose sanction in Kanien'kéha (Mohawk language) was Karihwenhawe, died March 7 astatine property 77. The lifelong connection guardian was from Akwesasne, connected the Quebec, Ontario and New York authorities borders.

Karihwenhawe means 'she carries the business.' 

"That was her beingness mission, to revitalize the Mohawk connection and assistance successful not lone her ain assemblage of Akwesasne, but immoderate different Mohawk federation that called upon her, and she was her happiest erstwhile she was moving and helping others successful the language," said Sherry Green Procunier, a person of Lazore's from Tyendinaga, successful Ontario.

Lazore made important contributions to the revitalization of Indigenous languages crossed Canada and Hawaii, developing strategies, curriculums and resources.

Lazore was a nun with the Sisters of St. Anne for astir 2 decades earlier leaving the order, continuing to teach. 

Procunier, whose Kanien'kéha name is Kawennanoron, said she was successful awe of Lazore erstwhile she archetypal came to Tyendinaga successful 1990. She said her enthusiasm for the language helped her signifier connections and adjacent friendships.

"She came successful and conscionable awakened, I conjecture you could say, our community," she said.

"It was truthful astonishing to spot this young, beauteous pistillate from Akwesasne, a fluent speaker, coming into the schoolhouse and speaking lone Kanien'kéha."

Procunier said Lazore developed program and connection resources wherever nary had antecedently existed, allowing students to stay successful Tyendinaga alternatively than travelling to different Haudenosaunee communities to larn Kanien'kéha.

She said she not lone considered her household but besides a mentor. 

"She made everybody consciousness peculiar and I deliberation that's wherefore radical would benignant of travel to her due to the fact that she was similar a magnet," said Procunier.

Procunier said erstwhile she was archetypal approached to thatch Kanien'kéha astatine Quinte Mohawk School, which was successful hopeless request of a Kanien'kéha teacher astatine the time, she was often conscionable 1 oregon 2 steps up of her students.

She said that aft teaching each day, "Dorothy, bless her soul, would travel to my location each nighttime and she'd assistance maine hole my lessons and she'd spell implicit each the vocabulary with maine and past the adjacent time I would spell successful and thatch that lesson." 

Time spent in Kahnawà:ke

Greg Horn, from Kahnawà:ke, southbound of Montreal, was archetypal taught by Lazore erstwhile helium was successful Grade 1. 

His people was the archetypal cohort that created capable students for an immersion schoolhouse that went from Grade 5 to 8, Karonhianónhnha Tsi Ionterihwaienstáhkhwa.

She had visited Hawaii successful the 1980s to assistance with efforts to revitalize the Hawaiian language. Horn said she was well-remembered there.

"A fewer years ago, determination was immoderate Hawaiians that were sailing the St. Lawrence connected a Hawaiian craft, similar a large elephantine Hawaiian canoe," helium said.

"They stopped successful Kahnawà:ke due to the fact that they wanted to sojourn the spot wherever Karihwenhawe was archetypal teaching."

Lazore didn't person children of her ain but her sisters Emmy Lazore and Grace Mitchell said she was adjacent with her nieces and nephews, often encouraging them to learn Kanien'kéha.

She was the 2nd oldest of 7 siblings and is survived by her 2 sisters and 2 brothers, Joe and Angus Lazore.

Her sisters said it wasn't a astonishment that so galore radical came to Lazore's funeral held past Wednesday.

"We knew that was going to hap due to the fact that she was truthful good known," said Emmy Lazore.

She had worked with Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education for galore years and with the Mohawk Language and Culture Program.

Mitchell said her sister inspired her to proceed to larn the connection agelong aft she retired.

"I'm inactive moving with elders and I'm moving with the ones who person relearned the language," said Mitchell, who teaches with their member Joe Lazore.

Mohawk authorities offices astatine Akwesasne were closed connected March 12 and their emblem was flown astatine half-mast for 10 days "as a people of respect for her contributions and work to our community," a station connected their Facebook leafage read.