A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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The Old Moccasin Dance was originally called an Apple Dance, which was a ceremony dance (the Fruit Dance). The purpose of this dance was changed throughout time to what we now know as the Old Moccasin Dance. The steps are as follows; • The dance starts out with two male partners; they will get up as soon as the song starts. If you listen to the drum it will tell you when to begin dancing, usually after the intro beat. • When you hear the slow beat that will be the time to change places with you...
There was a famous hunter whose name was Wolf Marked. Wolf Marked lived in a bark house at the edge of the village. His only companions were the large wolf-like dogs who never left his side. They were his constant companions and Wolf Marked treated them as his brothers. It is said that while hunting, these swift running dogs would drive the game to Wolf Marked. The famous hunter was never known to have returned from the trail empty handed. Wolf Marked was well liked by other members of his...
Introduction of Own Name and Interpretation: A name is determined by your clan, gender, season, weather, or landmark event signifying the coming of a child. There are three main clans here amongst the Kanienkehaka Nation. They are Turtle, Wolf and Bear. According to tradition, the mother carries the clan and that will determine the name the child will carry. When a girl is born the mother’s father or uncle will name the little girl (to prevent favoritism). When a boy is born, the father’s mother will name him (also to prevent favoritism). The...
This is a Mohawk story that was long time ago there was a village on the bend of a river. On one sunny day, a hunter was out in the forest looking for game. While walking along a trail, he stumbled on a hole. He stood back, scratched his head, and thought to himself; '"This wasn't here yesterday.'' He went uphill to get a better look at the hole. His hair stood up. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. That hole was not just any hole; it was the footprint of a bear. Cautiously and very quietly,...
The Harvest Ceremony is done around the fall time when the gardens, and all plant life have been picked. We give thanks for what we had asked for during Mid-Winter Ceremony. The Four Sacred Ceremonies are done at this time. The people will bring food that they harvested to show that the Creator has heard us. The Harvest Ceremony consists of four days. First Day of Harvest This day three dances are done to honor the Creator, the Faithkeepers, Clan mothers, and the People. Second Day of Harvest A tobacco burning takes place to acknowledge the Cre...
The Three Sisters are corn, beans, and squash. Together they are considered the sustainers of life. The Three Sisters teaches us that everyone has something to offer. When used together they represent the perfect balance. Our ancestors did not use the modern concept of planting in straight neat rows. Instead they planted in mounds. By planting corn, beans, and squash together on a mound, each plant helps the other grow. The beans can grow up the corn, and the spiny squash leaves deter predators...
Today many imitation wampum belts are made of glass beads introduced by European traders. A true wampum bead is made of the quahog or round clam shell from the Atlantic coast ranging from Cape Cod to Florida and is purple or white. Wampum is an Algonquin word still used in the present day from the Algonquian nations along the Atlantic coast. It is said that before wampum was introduced the wing of an eagle was given to sanction a treaty. In historical times beaver skins, and painted sticks have...
The story tells us the three (sisters corn, beans, and squash) are the "sustainers of life". The corn Spirit was so thrilled at being one of the sustainers of life that she asked the Creator what more she could do for her people. The Creator said that a beautiful doll could be formed from the husks. The Creator set to work to form the doll. When finished he gave the doll a beautiful face, and sent it to the children of the Iroquois people to play with, and to make them happy. The doll went from...
In the old days the Iroquois extended their household “matriarchal” giving the women outright ownership to the land and housing. There were no discontinuities in her upbringing. She was the one to carry on the clan and its prerogatives right through to her children to keep up the strength of numbers in the clans. The girl was fondly and permissively treated as the boy. Children were not punished. They participated in activities as soon as they were able and were not disciplined in any harsh physical fashion, nor weaned too young. Surrogate mot...
Recently, a very important issue has surfaced with the use of our Kanienkeha given names. Originally, our people in Ahkwesahsne were given one name at birth in a ceremony and this served the purpose of identification. That system was good judgment by our native communities and followed the Traditional way of naming children following a Matrilineal Society and Clan order. This system is still strong in our customs. The child born was the only one to hold the name given with no duplication by others until death. Well, after a couple of hundred ye...
Reprinted with permission from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe The Kanienkehaka, or Mohawks as we are known in English, have managed to preserve, maintain and foster a unique culture for thousands of years. This dynamic culture has survived, despite the oppressive odds brought about with the arrival of Europeans in what is now known as North America. In America and Americans, noted author John Steinbeck wrote, “The Indians survived our open intention of wiping them out, and since the tide turned they have even weathered our good intentions t...
In the old days, Indian marriage was not founded by a physical attraction between a man and a woman. It was always regulated exclusively on emotional maturity, and these changes were gradually introduced to a marriageable age. So if a mother considered her son or daughter at an age suitable for marriage, she would look about her acquaintances for a mate. At times, the mother would act under the suggestion of a nearest relative, or an elderly man, or an elderly woman of whatever clan or nation they respectively belonged. Therefore, the subject o...
Whenever people come together, words are said; good words of greetings and acknowledgment are said. First we acknowledge each other. We thank the Creator for allowing us to meet here today safely. Next we thank Mother Earth, we walk upon her, and she has never failed to support us. She is the mother, we are her children. With our kindest words, and our purest thoughts, we thank you mother earth. Now we are of one mind. Next we thank the bodies of water. The ocean, lakes and rivers, which bring energy to mother earth. The waters are always...
Continue from last week Environmental Philosophy of the Haudenosaunee The Haudenosaunee have lived in peace and harmony with the natural world for thousands of years. We share a deep spiritual relationship with our surrounding environment rooted in a respect for all life. We recognize our long-term health is based on living in a healthy environment. Our lifestyles, knowledge systems, philosophies and culture allowed us to be sustainable communities. In today’s world, we face new environmental problems that our ancestors never had to c...
Continued from last week. •Haudenosaunee Standing Committee on Burial Rules and Regulations Our Nations operate their repatriation programs under the auspices of the Haudenosaunee. The Grand Council, in accordance with the Great Law of Peace and based on Haudenosaunee protocols and cultural beliefs established the Haudenosaunee Standing Committee on Burial Rules and Regulations (HSCBRR). The HSCBRR has been tasked to work with the Nations of the Haudenosaunee to develop protocols and procedures for a coordinated approach related to burial r...
Continued from last week Exhibition of Medicine Masks The public exhibition of all medicine masks is forbidden. Medicine masks are not intended for everyone to see and such exhibition does not recognize the sacred duties and special functions of the masks. The exhibition of masks does not serve to enlighten the public regarding the culture of the Haudenosaunee as such an exhibition violates the intended purpose of the mask and contributes to the desecration of the sacred image. In addition, information regarding medicine societies is not meant...
Continued from last week Haudenosaunee Policy on Medicine (False Face) Masks The Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee issued, in 1995, this policy regarding all Medicine Masks of the Haudenosaunee. Medicine Societies Within the Haudenosaunee there are various medicine societies that have the sacred duty to maintain the use and strength of special medicines, both for individual and community welfare. A medicine society is comprised of Haudenosaunee who have partaken of the medicine and are thereby bound to the protection and perpetuation of the sp...
Continued from last week Since 1974, the Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee identified the following objects as being considered sacred and part of our national cultural patrimony. This is the underlying basis of our claims that have been made for the past twenty-eight years: 1) Wooden medicine masks, small and large 2) Corn husk masks, small and large 3) Snowsnakes, short and long 4) Condolence canes 5) Wampum 6) Peach stone game bowls and game dice 7) Wooden lacrosse sticks used in medicine games 8) Turtle rattles of all sizes 9) Ceremonial...
Continued from last week Past Burial Practices and Sites In ancient days, the dead were handled differently than today. When people died, their bodies were wrapped in hides and placed on wooden scaffolds. Eventually, the flesh would decay and when the villages moved to a new location, the bones of the dead would be removed from the scaffolds, cleaned and re-wrapped. The small bundles of bones would then be buried in group graves called ossuaries. Some bodies were buried in single graves, with the body placed in a flexed position, as if sitting...
Continued from last week. Violation of our Spiritual Rights Removing the remains from their eternal resting place is a great desecration to both the dead and the living. The disturbance, destruction, and theft of the dead is a violation of the religious and spiritual welfare of the Haudenosaunee. As long as the human remains are disturbed, there will be spiritual consequences to our people. The desecration of the graves of our ancestors, no matter what the age of the burial, is a violation of our religious freedom. Permits issued by the State...
Continued from last week. Haudenosaunee Policies and Practices Today Haudenosaunee Cultural Properties Haudenosaunee culture shapes the behavior of its members in deep and persistent ways, sometimes even beyond the conscious control of the individual. It is a way of being, of acting, of reacting. Culture, therefore, is a way of thinking, a way of feeling but also an intuitive way of problem solving and a unique way to express oneself in the world. The Haudenosaunee call all of this “Ongwehoweka” meaning all things that pertain to the way of...
Con’t from last week Treaty of Canandaigua of 1794 The Treaty of Canandaigua is legally a part of the supreme law of the land as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. This treaty was negotiated by two independent sovereign governments, the Haudenosaunee and the United States. Each side agreed to declare boundaries specifically set forth in the treaty. Each side agreed to guarantee the free use of and enjoyment by each government of its own lands, without interference from the other. Each side agreed to that the common goal would be p...
Con’t from last week. Silver Covenant Chain The Silver Covenant Chain is a unique Haudenosaunee-European political tool that changed the face of North America. Beyond the seemingly perpetual conflict of Native American-white relations was an idea of peace between the colonist and the Haudenosaunee that was manifested for over two centuries in the Silver Covenant Chain of Peace. The Covenant Chain was more than a symbolic reference to the making of peaceful relations. It was also the actual confederation of Native nations and their allies, t...
Con’t from last week: “Polishing the Silver Covenant Chain” It is important to share information about Haudenosaunee wampum belts. The belts are important symbols for the Haudenosaunee as the words of our ancestors were spoken into these belts. It represents our sacred history. The belts were made to commemorate great events, ratify treaties and remember historical actions. The symbols reflect the meaning of that event, but some of the symbols can have multiple meanings. Appendix D provides some information on Treaty Belts that have been retur...
Under the shade of the Tree of Peace, seats were prepared for the Sachems or Chiefs to keep and watch the Council Fire and the Peacemaker instructed that all business of the Haudenosaunee would be conducted there before the Sachems. Five bound arrows symbolize the completed union. It brought the Haudenosaunee together as one, in one head, one body, one spirit and one soul to settle all matters as one. It established the framework to work, counsel and confirm together for the future of coming...
