A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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“Today, we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.” Traditional philosophical principles have a crucial relevance to the challenges our people face today. Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen, the words of the Thanksgiving Address, are a strong reminder of the place we as human beings were meant to occupy in relation to the other elements of...
In the beginning, the World was not as we know it. It was a water world inhabited only by Animals and Creatures of the air who could survive without land. The Sky World was quite different. Human-Type Beings lived there with infinite types of Plants and Animals to enjoy. In the Sky World, there was a Tree of Life that was very special to the People of the Sky World. They knew that it grew at the entrance to the world below and forbade anyone to tamper with the Tree. One woman who was soon to give birth was curious about what was beneath the...
In last week’s issue of Indian Time the culture page had an article on the “Warrior Chiefs.” According to the traditional teachings and historical research and knowledge, when the Peacemaker and Ayonwatha brought the Great Law of Peace to the Haudenosaunee Nations the weapons of war were (symbolically) put under the uprooted Great White Pine Tree. The Great Law, the four sacred ceremonies, the Kariwiio is representative of a good mind and peace. There is no Warrior Chief. There is no tithe for a Warrior Chief. There is no condolence for a War...
Curtis Terrance was inspired to try his hand at making splint basketry model airplanes by his son Thomas. Curtis is a work basket maker and his wife Delia makes fancy baskets. They are both from basket making families and now Thomas is following in their footsteps with a passion for splint! Curtis gave his first model airplane to Thomas and it is on view at the Akwesasne Museum until Memorial Day, along with the second airplane that Curtis made, a model of the plane flown in World War I by the...
The Head Chiefs, or certain of them, are each attended by a sub-Chief, properly called Warrior Chief, but now usually known as the Second Chief, who is an executive officer, but also may appear in Council as the Deputy of the Head Chief, in case of the absence of the latter. He has no voice in Council except when so acting as Deputy, but in modern times he frequently sits in Council and takes part in deliberations, if permitted to do so by the Head Chief. The Second Chief is chosen in the same manner as a successor to the Head Chief ship, from...
Continued from last week Rotinonsionni, “the People of the Longhouse,” a derivative of Kanonsionni, is the name by which the Six Nations called themselves as a confederated or united people. They also anciently called themselves Ongue Honwe, “Men surpassing all others” or “real men.” Iroquois is the name by which they have been generally known, and which is now used as term to include the whole of what formerly constituted the confederated Six Nations, while the latter term (Six Nations) is usually restricted to those of them who reside in Onta...
9: An important deputation of Sachems visited England for the purpose of presenting to Queen Anne in person the views of the Five Nations, on questions regarding the international relations between the English and French colonies, and other important matters of public policy. 1715: The Tuscaroras, driven from North Carolina, sought the protection of the Five Nations as being of a common origin and were admitted into the confederacy, which then became the “Six Nations”. 1749: Abbe Picquet established a small settlement of Christianized Iro...
Unlike most Indian Nations, whose history is generally little more than vague tradition, interesting to few but ethnologists and other scientists, the People of the Longhouse, Iroquois, or Six Nations (formerly Five Nations), as they are variously termed, possess a reliable history of respectable antiquity and of great interest, the main incidents of which have fortunately been preserved, partly by the traditions and historical wampum belts of the Nations, and partly by writers, especially the Hon. Cadwallader Colden, David Cusick, a Tuscarora...
Traditional Child rearing: as the child grows what did our ancestors do? Here is an excerpt from Jake Thomas’s traditional teachings of the family. As children grow up, they either play among themselves or idle about the house. There are few toys and little supervision. Some corn-husk dolls are made for children but the hoop-and-javelin games and the snow boat (see Morgan, 1901, 1:287-90, 293-4) have been practically obsolete at Six Nations for 15 years. Boys usually acquire snow snakes, bows and arrows, and lacrosse rackets, and both boys a...
The traditional teaching on family, children, roles and responsibilities and relationships continues with Tom Porter’s thoughts on the Traditional Women’s Role. Tom Porter is a Mohawk of the Bear clan. He is an elder, a leader, speaker and an author of three books. Tom will be in Akwesasne next week as a speaker at a Nation building workshop. By Tom Porter, Bear Clan, Mohawk Nation In the traditional Women’s Dance, when the men sing, it is to honor all Mothers. The first verse is sung in the honor of our head mother, the Mother Earth. When the...
The Haudenosaunee woman is very important and there are a lot of responsibilities as explained by the well known traditional teacher Jake Thomas. The growing of corn required a cycle of preparing seed, planting, cultivating and harvesting. All of these activities were carried out cooperatively by a women’s mutual aid society under the supervision of a Chief Matron. A variety of tools were used. Among them were a wooden or bone hoe for preparing the ground for planting, a stick for punching holes in the ground to plant the seed, a hoe for cu...
Continuing in the series traditional ways of raising a family, Jake Thomas talks about the responsibility and role of the Haudenosaunee women. A Confederate Lord is nominated by the oldest woman of the maternal family in which the title descended. The matron is the holder of the two short strings of wampum called sachems. In the early days when treaties were made the women signed with the chiefs because the women were the title holders. The females were pronounced as our mothers by the males of their tradition. The women were much closer to...
The series continues on the family, children, raising children, and other traditional teachings about the family. This week Huron Miller tells us about Onkwehonwe marriage. Huron is a condoled chief from the Six Nations territory with much knowledge of the traditional teachings. 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 daught...
She:kon everyone who take the time to read the Children’s Page. This is the last story/legend as spring is around the corner and the snow will be melting. It is time to put the stories/legends aside and get ready for spring. Look for the stories/legends next winter. Have a great spring, summer and fall. Oneh ki wa heh! In the mysterious days of long ago, when Ra-wen-io was fixing the earth so that mankind might have a happy place to live, all the trees had tongues and they talked. There was much to talk about, for terrible monsters roamed t...
Traditional teachings on the family: parenting, birth, marriage and family violence as told by Jake Thomas, noted historian, educator and cultural/traditional expert. Mr. Thomas was a condoled Cayuga Roiane (Chief) from Six Nations. We continue his series on the family with family violence. FAMILY VIOLENCE Why does family violence appear in the home of native people today? There are many reasons why family violence has surfaced among native people: 1) We have abandoned our way of belief. Children are not told about the good or the evil things,...
As MY GRANDFATHER USED TO SAY, “MY NEPHEW, IT never pays to rejoice over the downfall of an enemy, lest he arise and devour you.” Of course you can’t understand that, so I’ll just tell you not to dance too quick when you think a raccoon’s dead. Well, Joeagah was a raccoon. Nothing much to that, only this—Joeagah was a wise raccoon, and he knew it. Joeagah came down from his tree one morning to get a drink of nice brook water. What should he see but a crab. Nothing much to that, my nephew, only this—the crab bit Joeagah on his lower lip. Well, t...
The culture page is for the reader to learn about the Haudenosaunee history, culture and traditional teachings. The content is from various resources from the Confederacy. They are valued experts in our nations. They have taken the time to listen to the elders, to read and to do research. These resource people are young and old, many have passed on and many continue to share to this day. A noted educator, a condoled Cayuga chief and a historian, Jake Thomas, from Six Nations took the time to put many traditional beliefs on paper. For the next...
OH-O-WAH was a big snowy owl, and a curious bird he was. Oh-o-wah wanted to be like the swan and have a long neck. He wanted to be like white heron and have a long beak. He wanted long legs. He wanted everything other birds had. It was good time to want things. In those days Ra-wen-io was making the animals and the birds as they wanted to be. He walked through the forest and asked each fur-coat and feather-coat how he wanted to be. Ra-wen-io was very patient. One day he came to the bushlands where he saw Hippity Boy, the rabbit. Rabbit was sitt...
The Cultural Poster series, “Men of the Confederacy” will end this week with Faithkeeper Oren Lyons of the Onondaga Nation. I have had the privilege and great honor to know Oren for many years. He is dedicated to the Haudenosaunee and works hard for us to ensure those yet unborn will have an environment to live and grow. You can purchase this poster series at the Ronathahonni Cultural Center for $5.00 per poster. Open Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm. Telephone number is 613-932-9452 and ask for JoA...
The Indian Time newspaper has been showcasing “Men of the Confederacy” on the culture page. The “Men of the Confederacy” poster series is a product of the Ronathahonni Cultural Center located on Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island). These Confederacy men have made major contributions to the Haudenosaunee history, culture and traditional teachings. This week’s “Man of the Confederacy” is Tom Porter and the last poster in Indian Time will showcase Oren Lyons. This is a great poster series for schools a...
Men of the Confederacy...
Men of the Confederacy...
Posters can be purchased at the Ronathahonni Cultural Center. $5.00 each...
Continued from last week Deganahwideh took a third string of wampum and held it before the multitude saying, “It is provided thus: To you, Adadarho, and your cousin Lords, fourteen of you altogether, this shall be your duty. You shall keep the Confederate Council Fire clean all around, you shall allow no dust or dirt to be seen around the Council Fire. I therefore lay a seagull wing, Shaweyesehgowah Onerahontshah, near you. Take this wing and sweep the dust and dirt away from the Council Fi...
Continued from last week The chiefs and people of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas all walked toward the lodge of the terrible warrior. The people gathered before the lodge of Adadarho. The singer walked before the lodge of the terrible warrior. He tried to cure the sick mind of the warrior by singing the Peace Hymn. It was necessary to sing the Peace Hymn without error if it was to work any power on the mind when Adadarho was angry the snake hair seemed to hiss and spit. They reported that the body of the terrible war-chie...
