A Voice from the Eastern Door
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The 2018 Andrew W. Cook Post 1479 Memorial Day Parade took place this past Sunday, May 27th. This year's theme was Colors of Freedom. The weather was in everyone's favor before and during the parade with the rain holding off right until the very end of the parade. The roads were filled with families and eager children ready to grab the candy and goodies off the side of the roads. The Memorial Day has become one of the main events for the community of Akwesasne, it's a sign the summer is near....
On Saturday May 26th, some of Akwesasne's talented artists had the opportunity to show off their artwork, basketry, beadwork, clothing and much more. The event took place at the Akwesasne Housing Authority Training Center and it was open to the public to come and check out the artist's booth and live demonstrations. The doors were open to the public from 10am until 3pm, but connections were made that will last a lifetime. Many of the artists brought their finished work, but if there was...
On Saturday, May 26th the 8th Annual Kids for Fishing took place, beginning and ending at the St. Regis Recreation. Every year, community members have a chance to enter their children's names for a chance to spend the day fishing while learning about different safety topics. For the last 8 years, there have been 40 names drawn at random, and 10 spots especially for children with disabilities. In total, 50 lucky kids got to spend the day fishing on the St. Lawrence River alongside professional...
On Wednesday May 16th, the Akwesasne Mohawk Police hosted their Annual Torch Run for the Special Olympics as part of their AMPS Police Week. The event began at approximately 10 am, with the Akwesasne Mohawk Police gathering the students from Kana:takon School along with participants from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe's Community and Family Support. The run which began and ended at the Kana:takon School with everyone gathering outside the Kana:takon School and began the torch run around the villag...
On Friday May 18th, The Akwesasne Mohawk Casino co-hosted this year's Annual Sock Hop, organized by CKON. The event began at 6 pm, with DJ Buck Wild emceeing the event. This event was similar to last year's Sock Hop with some of the same dance contests that were held at last year's Sock Hop. There were five different contests, with the lucky winners walking away with $97 US. The first contest was the Twist contest, with several judges there to pick who was the best. The second contest was the...
On Saturday, May 19th, 2018, volunteers from the Caring Hearts of Akwesasne organized the first Cancer Jamboree. The event took place at the American Legion Post 1479, with a Chicken BBQ sold at noon until all was sold, and the Jamboree itself beginning at 3 pm. A Mohawk Auction was set up during the Jamboree, with many items and baskets donated in memory of a family member who lost the battle to cancer or a loved one fighting cancer. Everything during the event was donated: the volunteers...
The Grand Reopening of the Ànowaràkowa Arena took place on May 9th, at 12 pm. After the arena suffered major damage caused by a fire, the entire facility was shut down and all operations came to stop. Although the fire only happened in one of the dressing rooms, it affected the entire facility and the community of Akwesasne. The arena is not just a place for hockey games and lacrosse games, many members of Akwesasne utilize the arena for celebrations, festivals, expo's, powwows, shows and m...
On Friday, May 4, 2018 the St. Regis Dance Club hosted their 4th annual Lip Sync Battle. The event took place at the one and only St. Regis Recreation Center, which is also where the St. Regis Dance Club holds their classes and their annual Party in the Park Recital. The Lip Sync battle is one of the fundraisers the St. Regis Dance Club holds, to raise the money to cover the cost of the dancers' costumes. Laura Thompson, one of the organizers, stated, "Our plan is to raise $2500 tonight to...
On Saturday, May 5, 2018, the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment (ATFE) hosted their annual Roadside Cleanup all throughout Akwesasne. It's one of few partnerships between the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, whose collaboration makes a big difference in the community, by including all of Akwesasne in a day to clean Mother Earth. The event was originally scheduled on April 28th, but due to unfavourable weather, the date was postponed to May 5th. The roadside cle...
At the request of a community member, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, Forestry Resources Program in collaboration with the US Forest Service and USDA-Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service provided a community workshop. The workshop took place on May 3rd, which began at 5:00 pm, at the Akwesasne Housing Authority Training Center. The purpose of the workshop was to explain what the Emerald Ash Borer community volunteer program is. At the workshop community members learned about the background...
On Friday, April 27 the second annual Teal to Heal Sexual Assault Awareness Walk was held at the Generations Park Tewatahita Walking Trail. The event began at 11:00 am with signups at the beginning of the walk. The Three Sisters Program sponsored and organized the event. The Seven Dancers Coalition also had a booth set up during the walk. Everyone was able to sign up and receive an answer card. If they decided to answer the 10 questions along the trail, they were entered to win a prize at the...
On Thursday, April 26th the Akwesasne Cultural Center hosted the 4th and last beaded velvet bag class. The class was made possible by the New York State Council of the Arts Special Art Program Grant. Tammy King led the beaded bag class, with her mother Brenda Arquette assisting. This was Tammy King's first time teaching at the Akwesasne Cultural Center, with the possibility of more in the future. The class was aimed at experienced beaders, because of the short amount of time that was given for...
I was fortunate enough to conduct an in depth and personal interview with Wayne Baker, a member of the Squamish Nation, British Columbia, Raven clan. Wayne is a First Nations actor from B. C. with close ties to Akwesasne. He has acted in movies such a Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, North of 60, Supernatural, Blackstone and many more. Wayne had the privilege to play a part in the award winning film, "Indian Horse", which was adapted from the novel by Richard Wagamese. Clint Eastwood, Paula...
The Iakwa'shatste Youth Fitness Program and Heart to Heart Fitness Center played a huge role in providing a gym class for the Akwesasne Freedom School students this year. The Iakwa'shatste program had been working with The Akwesasne Freedom School for 2 years. In the past they had only been able to utilize the school and the outdoor field, but after a while there were just too many students and not enough room. The Heart to Heart Fitness Center generously donated their indoor gym to the...
On Saturday April 21, the Annual Seed and Tree Give Away took place at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Senior Center in Hogansburg. This yearly event is organized by the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment. The Seed and Tree Giveaway began at 9 am sharp, with community members lined up at the door. There were several booths set up throughout the lobby, giving interested people the chance to get more information on different issues or tools for the environment. One of the major problems in...
On Sunday, April 15th the 5th annual "Me and My Guy Dance" took place at the St. Regis Mohawk School. All the young ladies came out dressed to impress with their special guy. The dance began at 12pm, with the gymnasium decorated in 50's theme, and a D.J playing oldies to set the mood. The Me and My Guy dance was organized by the Akwesasne Coalition for Community Empowerment. This is the fifth year they have put on the "Me and My Guy Dance". The dance is open for young girls from Pre-K to Grade...
On April 15th, the first ever "Me and My Gal Dance" took place at the Saint Regis Mohawk School. The dance followed shortly after the annual "Me and My Guy Dance", held at noon. This year is the first time that the Akwesasne Coalition for Community Empowerment organized a "Me and My Gal Dance", so that the young men and the female role models are not left out. It had a great turnout for being the first of many. The young men were accompanied by their favorite gal, whether it be their mom, step...
On April 4th, the Seven Dancers Coalition hosted a book signing and discussion with the author known as Eahwahewì. The first of two events took place at the Akwesasne Library, the second taking place at the Seven Dancers Coalition Building. The author, Eahwahewì travelled from her hometown to come to Akwesasne to discuss the non-fictional personal essay, which turned into a book. Eahwahewì, Oneida, Turtle Clan, was born and raised in Toronto. The book is called "Recover. Rebuild. Reclaim SE...
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe held their monthly meeting for the month of April, on Saturday the 7th. The meeting began at 10 am with a call to order. There was a quick review of previous action items. Previous Action Items: a) Tribal Council to report on March Tribal meeting motion from the floor for Tribal Council to enact an investigation (fact finding) and evaluation of the correlation and relationship between the original Elders Benefit Group and the anonymous propaganda, which is in direct contradiction to the benefit to elders. – Work i...
The CHASE Committee hosted an evening of family fun at the St. Regis Recreation on Tuesday, March 27th. The event began at 5:00 pm with stations set up with different types of Easter themed arts and crafts. There was also a Family Fit Relay Easter Egg Challenge put together by Iakwa'shatste Youth Fitness organization. Families were able to participate in all the activities for free, with no prior registration necessary; they just showed up and had a good time. The top three families from the...
An ongoing raised beadwork class at the Akwesasne Cultural Center finished up on Wednesday, March 28th. The raised beadwork class was taught by Marlana Thompson along with her assistant Ashley Thompson. The participants were taught how to do raised beadwork by creating a Shadow Box Frame. A lot of beautiful beadwork was created during the class. Most of the participants were beginners, but you wouldn't know that by looking at the beadwork they created during the class. Some participants were...
The Snye Recreation was packed with community members over the past weekend, for their annual Easter activities. The event began with Easter themed activities on Saturday March 24th with Pie Bingo at 2:00 pm and an Adult Bonnet/Cap Contest during intermission. There was plenty of creativity and humor put into the bonnets/caps. The judges went around and quickly judged the individuals wearing their bonnets/caps during pie bingo. The lucky winners of the Adult Bonnet/Cap contest were announced...
The community came together for a great cause on Friday March 16th, at the American Legion Post 1479. The Caring Hearts of Akwesasne organized the event to help and assist those affected by the recent flooding in the Hogansburg area. The event began with a benefit luncheon that began at 11:00am with all 200 dinners sold out in 45 minutes. Jonathan Lazore, Caring Hearts Volunteer, stated "We were able to sell 200 chicken dinners in 45 minutes. That's why I think we have the best community when...
On Saturday March 17th, Little Ray's Reptile Zoo came to Akwesasne and put a show to remember at the Kawehnoke Recreation. The event was organized by Mohawk Council of Akwesasne's Community Health program in partnership with Autism Ontario. This was the first event put on by both organizations, but it will not be the last. The event was open to families with children on the autism spectrum, along with their families and friends. Community members had to preregister for the free event, with room...
On Wednesday, February 21st the Akwesasne Mohawk School's Grade 7 and 8 music class paid a visit to the SRMT Office of the Aging to put on a show for the seniors. Accompanied by their teachers, the AMS students showed Akwesasne elders what they have learned throughout the school year. The Grade 7 students have been learning to play the ukulele, while the Grade 8 students have learned to play the guitar. The students began by performing songs that they learned during the school year. The...