A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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The Ohkwaho Kaionwi Ne Akwesasne (Wolf Belt) arrived in Akwesasne, given back to the community from the State Museum of New York, on September 17, 2010. Every year around that time, the Akwesasne Cultural Center wants people to revisit that day and think again about what the belt means to us as a community. The significance of the belt extends beyond Akwesasne, and holds meaning for people all over the world. The Museum received a letter from a woman in the Netherlands who had been here before a...
The Konon:kwe Council held Weaving Webs of Women’s Wisdom at the Tsionkwanatiio Heritage Grounds in Akwesasne. The conference ran from Monday, August 27th through Thursday August 30th. Registration was Monday along with a ceremony welcoming the travelers who have come from all over to attend. The travelers were welcomed and their meeting was handled through a protocol that would have governed the meeting between nations. There was a runner sent from one group to the other and asking if they c...
An afternoon of food, games, prizes and fun was held at the Seniors Center in Akwesasne on Friday. Those who were there had the opportunity to play Ace to King, a trivia game called Brain Drain, and Bingo. Participating in each of the games earned entries into the drawing at the end of the picnic. Prizes for the drawing were one year, six months, and three months worth of congregate meals, every day at the Seniors Center. Finally there was a poker walk for everyone who wanted to pay $5 dollars...
On Saturday, a benefit barbeque to support the elderly traveling to Rome to see the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha was held at the Hogansburg Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department. There was a specific target for the benefit: those on fixed income, and those who may be too proud to ask for help in dealing with unexpected expenses – such as the landing tax of $300 just to get off the plane, or insurance, which may cost upwards of $700. Event co-organizer Matt Rourke said “This isn’t like a lac...
On Saturday, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Family and Community Services hosted the first annual Community Carnival. Family and Community Services felt the need to hold the carnival as a way to take some of the stigmatism away from their program. Nancy McMahon, Acting Consumer Services Facilitator, added, “The purpose is to give more people awareness of disabilities, and adults and children with disabilities in the community.” The Community Carnival had games like the ring toss and dart gam...
On Sunday the Akwesasne Freedom School held its annual quilt raffle, which helps support the operation of the Freedom School. The event, which runs until the last quilts are sold, featured many of the same things as the race did. There was music, crafts, raffles, a silent auction, the quilt auction, and food. The steak and cornbread dinner, put on by Big E, was extraordinary, and worth every bit of the $15 price tag. Musical performances by Crow and the Crosswinds Band entertained people before...
On Friday, The third annual Stuff the Bus Event was held at Mohawk Vision. This year’s event featured Bellybuttons the Clown, who was painting faces, a dunking tank, two bouncy houses, games, and food. The food venders donated a portion of their proceeds as well. The purpose of the event was to raise funds to get backpacks and school supplies for children in the community. Over the last 4 weeks there has been a signup sheet in the community for children who would like to participate in the p...
Over three days last week, Tuesday through Thursday, 14 students made miniature baskets and bookmarks in a class taught by Carrie Hill and Jasmine Benedict. The students signed up for the class weeks ago, and it filled up fast. The first class began with the students working from kits, to create their first finished basket project. The class had 14 students that started on Tuesday, and 10 students who completed the class on Thursday. “They all did very good, most of them are beginners and did v...
Beginning on Saturday August 18th, The Native North American Traveling College hosted the 2012 Friendship Days on Cornwall Island, and the fun lasted through Sunday. The weather on Saturday, when I went, was beautiful. Friendship Day featured food, music, dancing, and exhibitors. Hosted by John Francis, there were performances by the Crosswinds Band, as well as the Akwesasne Drum Group, who were off to Golden Lake after their performance. The Haudenosaunee Dancers performed for much of the time...
On Friday, Twinleaf Gas Station had its Customer Appreciation day, and with gas 10 cents lower for the day, the lines extended nearly out of the lot in either direction. There were deals on food at both Twinleaf Diner in Ft. Covington and Fresh Express, which both had an 8$ prime rib dinner, and Jreck Subs, which had half price subs all day. There were a number of specials on chips, soda, and there were free cones for kids. Outside they had a stand offering a hotdog, drink, and chips for $2,...
On Friday, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Healthy Babies Healthy Children and Community Health held a Family Fun Day at Massena Town Beach. There were plenty of activities to go around, and for any age. The whole family could enjoy the lunch that was provided, or volleyball, football, and some were playing lacrosse. Kids had many options, including arts, crafts, and games. The play dough table seemed to be the biggest hit with the kids, as well as rock painting. Bellybuttons the clown was also on...
On Sunday August 19, Dunkin’ Donuts, located at the end of the Speedway convenience store, held a customer appreciation and grand opening celebration. There were activities like the bouncy house, Volleyball, and Texas Horseshoes. Being Dunkin’ Donuts, obviously there was coffee, and there were multigrain bagels to be sampled too. The goal was two-fold. First, the event was to raise awareness for the brand, located in Akwesasne, so they did this with the sampling of their products. There is a v...
For each of the last 22 years, the Montreal First Peoples Festival has been held at venues across Montreal. The First People’s Festival offers many activities, all celebrating the rich and vibrant culture that we the indigenous of not only North America, but also the world, call our own. The cultural marvels First Peoples have to offer the world were celebrated through events involving food, film, as well as literary and music displays. The outdoor stage at Place des Festivals, which was s...
The Akwesasne Museum and Cultural Center, downstairs from the Library, has a wealth of information about cultural subjects. There have been some additions since we last checked in with them, and I had the chance to sit down with Sue Herne to discuss them. First is the touch screen computer that accompanies the youth driven lacrosse exhibit. The exhibit has traveled a few times now. It has been to the Onondaga Nation School, The Sackets Harbor Discovery Center, the Presidents Cup on Cornwall...
Every Tuesday throughout July and August, the Cooking Up Fun With Families class is held in the Saint Regis Health Services lounge. The class, which is a joint effort between Eat Smart NY and the Saint Regis Mohawk Health Services Nutrition Program, is both educational and fun for the whole family. This week’s class was about healthy mealtime behavior and habits. Karen Armstrong, who is from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County, taught the class. Armstrong used an exercise involv...
I had the opportunity to travel out to Avonmore recently and visit the Avonmore Berry Farm. The Avonmore Berry Farm is about 35 minutes from Akwesasne counting the afternoon bridge traffic, and it’s just up the 138. At the berry farm they grow their own berries as you may guess, (pre-picked strawberries are on sale now), as well as starting next week you can pick your own apples and pumpkins. Vegetables grown on the farm (corn, various varieties of tomatoes, beans, potatoes, carrots, onions, g...
The week of August 1st-7th was World Breastfeeding Week. Initially launched 20 years ago by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, World Breastfeeding Week has grown to include numerous events throughout the world. Kim McElwain, manager of nutrition services, which includes WIC, for the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe said, “The goal is to shed some light on breastfeeding in the past and present, then plan what more can be done to support all women to be able to optimally feed and care for t...
On Saturday, August 5th, the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino held a classic car show, which took place during ElvisFest. The weather was gorgeous for the outdoor show. There were a number of entries from all over the area, and a broad range of cars and trucks. Among the most interesting, and not often seen was a 1914 Model T “Depot Hack,” which was a Ford Model T Chassis, motor and tires, and a hand made carriage placed on top, made by a cabinet maker. This particular specimen was recreated using origin...
St. Regis Recreation held a family fun day on Sunday, August 5th. Laura Thompson said, “We are having our family fun day today, because there is a civic holiday on Monday, and MCA had theirs on Friday. We have rented out water-slides, and bouncy houses, all from local businesses. We have free food –hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, drinks and watermelon for everyone.” They were also giving out door prizes. “We have a bike for a girl and a bike for a boy, as well as a family packages and a 150$ gi...
On Saturday, August 4th, the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino held its annual ElvisFest, which featured Akwesasne’s TJ Jackson, and let me tell you he played one heck of a show. Jackson performed from 12 to 2pm in the Rapids Café and did what he does best, entertained. Now to qualify, I would never consider myself an Elvis fan –sure I love some Elvis songs, but I would never have gone to see an Elvis impersonator. Now having gone, I can say without a doubt, Jackson’s show was fantastic! Jackson perfor...
The 2012 Wellness Day was held at the Senior’s Center on Thursday. There were many exhibitors ranging from environmental awareness and organic gardening to matters concerning health, such as blood pressure and blood sugar tests. (I am pleased to say that my blood pressure and blood sugar were both very good, other than that I needed to eat.) There was a wealth of information available, with many tips for improving your health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Programs from both the St. R...
Last weekend, PICEI held a Movies Under The Stars Event at the Senior’s Center in Hogansburg. Turnout was good, the weather was good, and the mosquitoes were as voracious as ever. Even the mosquitoes were not enough to take away from the family fun though. Florence G. Patterson and crew offered refreshments to all the attendees at very reasonable prices. Sunday they showed “The Three Stooges.” Attendees brought blankets and camped out on the lawn in front of a large inflatable screen. The organi...
Over the weekend the Aboriginal National Invitational Volleyball Championships were held at the Anowara’ko:wa Arena. Play began at 10AM Friday morning with games occurring nearly hourly until 10pm, both Friday and Saturday, and bronze, silver, and gold medal games occurring Sunday. There were teams coming from as far away as Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, and a little closer to home from Quebec, Ontario, and New York, with play spread across several divisions. Many of the teams who traveled from fa...
In Akwesasne, lacrosse and hockey may be the dominant sports, but there is also a strong and growing volleyball population. This is illustrated perfectly by people such as Kahnastatsi Jacobs, her daughter Melissa Oakes, and her Granddaughter Bailey. They all play or have played volleyball, both Kahnastatsi and Melissa coach, as well. For all of them, volleyball was a secondary sport, but the interest and importance grew to where it is now. After the tournament, Kahnastatsi was teaching a free volleyball skills clinic. Kahnastatsi got involved w...
On Friday, the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino held the opening ceremonies for it’s annual Ironworker’s Competition. On hand were members of the Ironworking community here in Akwesasne, as well as sub-Chief Ron Lafrance Jr., and Chief Paul Thompson, who retired from his 51-year career in ironworking during the topping off ceremony, earlier in the day. Ron Lafrance spoke of his pride in being the son of an ironworker, and some of his memories of his father as an ironworker. Following sub-Chief Lafrance,...
