A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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The annual commemoration of the 1794 Canandaigua Treaty is one of the most important gatherings of the Haudenosaunee. It reminds us of a time when our concerns were paramount in the US which, in response to our complaints about the massive theft of our lands, sent Timothy Pickering to negotiate a treaty of peace and friendship. The Americans were not acting out of a genuine concern for the Iroquois but in their own self interests. The US was involved in a military campaign against the native nations in the midwest and wanted the Confederacy to...
CKON was begun in the spring of 1982 when a group of Akwesasronon decided the time had come for the Mohawk people to exercise their right to control our airwaves by operating our own radio station licensed not by any external agency but by the Mohawk Nation Council. The organizing group which formed the Akwesasne Communications Society decided that radio was the ideal medium for the transmitting of news and entertainment from a distinctly aboriginal perspective. It would give our non-Native neighbours an opportunity to enhance their knowledge...
The Akwesasne community is being manipulated into a crisis by the Canadian Border Security Agency. They knew that by placing a facility in Cornwall it would provoke the Mohawk people and they would then use an incident to point an accusatory finger our way and state that their fears were justified and that the need to carry weapons is essential. The CBSA may also think that by taking Mohawk cars and assessing huge fines the residents of Akwesasne will be so upset as to demand the leadership compromise and allow the custom agents to be armed...
The press has recently reported that the St. Regis Tribal Council has apparently forgiven Empire Resorts and is prepared to discuss the proposed casino deal in Sullivan County. Given the anxiousness of Senator Charles Schumer and New York Governor David Patterson to make this happen the Tribe is in a unique position to dictate the terms under which the project may move forward. But first, it must learn from its past mistakes and come up with a plan which does not involve the complete destruction of our collective status as Native peoples-and...
So Canada pulled a fast one by ignoring the Mohawk leadership and openning a temporary customs check point in Cornwall. This is all too typical of a government which treats Native people as irritants and liabilities. Rather than sit down with the Mohawk people and negotiate in good faith the governnment elected to adopt a tactic which does nothing to resolve the longstanding problems the Huadenosaunee have with regards to our aboriginal rights to cross this land restricted only by the laws and customs of our respective Native nations. So be...
For the first time in over 100 years Canada has ceded a major part of Akwesasne back to the Mohawk people. Not entirely, but the decision by Canada Customs to relocate its facilities north of Kawehnoke is a major historical event. It shows what can be done when the Mohawk people take a firm stand in defense of our community without the use of violence or fear. It is a mistake for Canada to take unilateral action on the border crossing issue and we will all be subject to more intense examination by the agents (now armed) but the officials in...
Born: May, 1788 Lake George, NY Father: Thomas Williams Te-hon-ra-gwa-ne-gen Grandmother: Eunice Williams of Deerfield, MA captured in a raid by the Mohawks in 1704 Mother: Mary Ann Rice Kon-wa-te-wen-te-ta Both parents born and raised in Kahnawake Thomas Williams supported the US during the Revolution, was selected as a delegate to go to Albany to resolve land disputes, signed the Seven Nations of Canada treaty on May 20/1796 Thereafter Williams moves to Akwesasne Eleazer Williams sent to Longmeadow school in Massachuetts in 1800 Member: Congr...
Dave “Sweet Knees” Richmond was a survivor and a winner. He endured combat tours in Vietnam where he was a member of the US Army’s Rangers. He lived through the troubles of 1979-80 as one of the leaders of the Mohawk Nation men, keeping them calm, showing them through example how to control their emotions, how to take a stand without having to resort to bluster and anger. Dave defended the Nation, he stood for the rights of the people, he contributed to the rise of Mohawk nationalism. He believe...
The fact is the only entity blocking anything on Akwesasne territory is the United States. Acting without consultation with the united Mohawk leadership the Americans made a decision to interfere with our aboriginal, and treaty, right to cross from one area of our homelands to another. The US border forces are armed and, unlike the Canadians, will not leave their posts because of an imagined threat to their security.They will not be pushed, prodded or pressured to do anything which compromises their tough stance on border security issues. So...
Well fed, confident and healthy the young Mohawks did what they do best when they are at ease-they danced. The Smoke Dance competition at Kawehnoke was not simply an affirmation of youth and talent but an affirmation of the joy which is at the heart of Onkwehonwe culture. The drum, the songs, the dancing is said to attract the Thunder Beings as they move about the earth, carried by the wind and bringing the sky waters. At this event, the dancing attracted others besides Akwesasnorons. While the...
A few weeks ago I wrote a column for IT in which I called for a national meeting of the Mohawk people to address the border issue since this is a concern for all of us whether we live in Kahnawake, Kanehsatake, Wahta, Tyendinaga or Oshweken. It is now a crisis which will effect Native people across the continent and calls for the active, visible participation of other nations must be sent far and wide. Our Mohawk Nation leaders should send an appeal for international support including asking human rights observers to come to Akwesasne to...
On June 1 the US will exercise its law enforcement muscles by trying to impose new border crossing rules on all Native people with the citizens of the Mohawk Nation a particular target. The Americans are betting that if they can muzzle us the other pesky redskins will fall in line. Never mind that they will have breached the spirit and letter of the Jay Treaty or violated our aboriginal rights. What they plan to do is create Fortress America at our expense. In the past, we have reacted to these kinds of anti-Mohawk tactics by organizing the...
It is beneficial for us to remember our history, both personal and communal, since the events of the past flow through our lives, giving it dimension, direction and power. Some of those occurrences may not be pleasant but we must learn from them nonetheless and what better time than the annual Jake Fire Day to take part of that 24 hours to recall from whence we came. John Fire is the Mohawk man martyred by the Canadian government for his stand against the armed invasion of Akwesasne by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1899. He stood to...
The following list of commonly used techniques will be helpful in “burglar-proofing” your reserves, and your rights. GAIN THE INDIANS CO-OPERATION - It is much easier to steal someone’s human rights if you can do it with his OWN co-operation. So… Make him a non-person. Human rights are for people. Convince Indians their ancestors were savages, that they were pagan, that Indians were drunkards. Make them wards of the government. Make a legal distinction, as in the Indian Act, between Indians and persons. Write history books that tell half th...
The NYSPA is the ultimate “Indian giver”. We, as a community, have an absolute right to Niionenhiaseko:wane (Barnhart Island). It was never sold to anyone. It is ours as are the waters, which flow on both sides of the island. We have a right to demand a fair percentage of the profits generated from the St. Lawrence Power Dam. We made a huge mistake when we agreed not to challenge the licensing of the dam. In 1988 we estimated we could have assessed an annual fee of over $33,000,000 for the use of our land and water. That amount would be...
For the past 10 years I have been involved with the World Parliament of Religions, first as a presenter at its conference in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999 and then as an organizer in Barcelona Spain in 2004 and now as a member of the Parliament’ Indigenous Task Force which has the duty of insuring the planet’s native peoples will have a dynamic presence when the 12,000 delegates, representing all religions, arrive in Melbourne, Australia this December. The notice in last week’s IT was to remind the Mohawk community we have an historic oppor...
Our community is learning a number of hard lessons this winter. On February 24 the US Supreme Court once again slapped down a Native people when it ruled the Narragansetts of Rhode Island cannot place their lands into trust since they were not a “recognized” tribe at the time of the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. A very effective trap if you are an Iroquois nation since we rejected the IRA at Akwesasne and therefore are precluded from expanding our existing lands under current American law. This ruling will effect the St....
The movie “Frozen River” features exceptional acting by Melissa Leo worthy of her Oscar nomination. But it is not a great movie. Its setting is on an unnamed Mohawk reservation located astride the St. Lawrence River. Perhaps the producers had difficulty with the name “Akwesasne” or they elected not to consult (hence obtain the approval of) the Mohawk Nation but it is odd to see a road sign marking Native territory cut in half as if anonymity is part of the film’s setting. Smuggling, as the central activity of the film, is shown as not simp...
A few readers have asked over the past year why we haven’t reviewed the film Frozen River or written anything about it. The film is set in Akwesasne and was originally filmed here. There are a few reasons. First, I haven’t seen it. Second, I‘ve been hoping that it would quietly just go away. Third, I haven’t had cooperation from the film’s director, Courtney Hunt, in writing an article on it. Without an interview with Hunt, I’m unable to write a fair and unbiased article, so an editorial is the only option I have. The following is everything...
We are all the inheritors of our individual and collective histories. From the colour of our eyes to the way in which we see the world we are products of a unique heritage rooted in what has happened before. We act in accordance with a combination of personal experiences within the circle of familial, communal, national and international events both of human and natural origins. We cite historic events as a way of marking time, as sources of conversation and generational identification. We are cloaked in history; we would be wise to extract f...
I was present at the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as President of the United States on January 20 in Washington, DC. This was actually the fourth ‘swearing in” ceremony I have witnessed with the other three being in 1981, 1993 and 2001. The latest one was by far the most crowded with estimates ranging from 1.5 to 2 million people there. I believe the latter is correct since there were over 250,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial concert a couple of days previous and the inauguration one was much larger. Despite all predictions of an hi...
In the summer of 1687 a young English mathematician named Isaac Newton issued his three laws of physics based upon his observations of the natural world. His conclusions have resonated across the centuries and form the basis of all contemporary technologies, sciences and philosophies. These laws also hold true with regards to human behavior and have meaning for the Haudenosaunee as we struggle to sustain a distinct society as well preserve our formal treaty relationships with the United States and Canada, the successor to Britain. In the past...
On December 15 New York Governor David Paterson caved into a combination of convenience store owners and anti-Native sovereignty groups when he signed into law a bill which will compel the collection of state taxes on tobacco products delivered to Iroquois communities. The bill is also part of an attempt by the governor to respond to a massive state deficit estimated to be around $15,000,000,000. The supporters of the bill claim hundreds of millions of dollars of potential revenue are being lost because businesses on Indian territory do not...
On November 14 Ray Fadden-Tehanetorens left this world to begin his journey along the stars back to the Creator’s land, a place of living light where we will be embraced by those who have gone on before. His leaving means we will no longer have his counsel. His voice has been taken from us, we must make it through this life without his wisdom or his words of encouragement. He was, without doubt, one of the great human beings of our history, a true Onkwehonwe who fulfilled his duties with h...
For those who think that the events on Wall Street and the subsequent downward spiral of the US economy does not have an immediate affect on their lives they should realize that as it goes with the Americans so it goes with us. Every Mohawk family will be caught up in the recession as the free flowing money of the past generation begins to dry up. First will be the construction industry with new home purchases decreasing meaning less demand for electricians, carpenters, masons and plumbers. Large projects demanding the specific skills of ironwo...
