Last week, a member of the Kanienâkehá:ka (Mohawk) community, Lily Kahnerahtiio Dailleboust, shared a heartwarming encounter with pop star Rihanna on a flight from Toronto to Montreal. Dailleboust, a flight attendant for Air Canada, gifted Rihanna a beaded lanyard from Traditions, an art shop in Kahnawà :ke, and also taught her how to say “thank you” in Kanien’kéha, their native language.
Rihanna, visibly touched by the thoughtful gesture, expressed her gratitude in a video shared by Dailleboust on social media. In the video, Rihanna thanked Dailleboust and showed immediate appreciation by attaching the beaded lanyard to her purse. Dailleboust mentioned that Rihanna was keen on learning about her culture and how to pronounce “niá:wen,” the Kanien’kéha word for thank you.
Dailleboust highlighted that Rihanna, acknowledging her as the first Kanienâkehá:ka person she had met, was respectful and genuinely interested in the language lesson. The flight attendant also mentioned that Rihanna graciously interacted with the crew and passengers during the flight, offering autographs and photos.
The heartwarming encounter has since garnered positive feedback from the Kahnawà :ke community and neighboring Haudenosaunee territories. Tekaronhiahkhwa Standup, the owner of Traditions where the lanyard was purchased, expressed joy in seeing the community’s work recognized and appreciated. Standup emphasized the significance of Rihanna’s openness to learning and respecting their culture, which made the experience truly special and memorable for everyone involved.