Rihanna received a gift aboard a short-hop flight that she will “never forget.”
The multi-award-winning singer and Super Bowl LVII halftime performer was travelling from Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto to Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport when a flight attendant from Kahnawake gave her a beaded lanyard and a short language lesson.
“This sweet lady gifted me with something very special that I will never forget and I will never lose,” said Rhianna. “Thank you so much.”
Lily Kahnerahtiio Dailleboust is from the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) community on Montreal’s South Shore and also taught the singer from Saint Michael, Barbados, about Kanienʼkéha, the Mohawk language.
“In our language we say ‘Niá:wen,’ which means thank you,” said Dailleboust.
“Niá:wen,” Rhianna repeated.
Rihanna was on her way to see her husband A$AP Rocky’s show. Dailleboust said the pop star was incredibly friendly and offered an autograph or photo.
“I’m still shocked,” she told CTV News. “I’m still kind of processing, it’s a big thing, and it’s really something that she was so down to earth and really accommodating.”
Dailleboust said there is a police in place to respect VIP guests and not approach them out of context. She said Rihanna began chatting while Dailleboust was speaking with her bodyguard.
“It was so organic,” she said. “It was just like talking to one of my friends that I’ve had for 10 years. It was just like such an easy flow conversation. We joked around a little bit about other things.”
