A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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Continued from last week And they say as they grew to be young men that in the wintertime they would take turns going out hunting, each one of these boys. One winter it would be Teharonhiawako’s turn and the other winter it would be Sawiskera’s turn. And they say that this one winter Sawiskera knew that it was going to be his winter to hunt. And he hated going out hunting. So what he did was, in that fall, he went out and found a mountain. There was a large cave in the bottom of the mountain and it was hollow. And he went out that fall and he...
Continued from last issue And, they say, as the two young boys grew to be young men, they found that they had special gifts as well, and their special gift was one of creation. Each one of them had this. And because they were twins, they shared this power equally. Even though they had very different personalities, they had the same power. So as they grew, they found out they could make things, and they were starting to develop different vegetation. And one of the stories, or examples, is that the Teharoniawako, the holder of the skies, he made...
Continued from last week And they say that because this young woman had lost her life giving birth, that there was a great force emitting from her in all directions, this life-giving force, and as the soil touched her, that it was kind of like a chain reaction. This great life-giving force went in all directions. Wherever the soil was touching it, that life force went. And, they say, right away all of that vegetation started to grow all the more. So as –I guess- a gift to her daughter, the grandmother (some of the things that she had brought f...
Continued from last week So again, as they say, “as the time went on”, this young woman, she had a dream. And they say, in this dream, she was approached by a handsome young man. And he said that he was the spirit of the west wind. And he was also the bringer of the water. And, they say, how he had found out about his young woman was that the spirit of the west wind - this young man, the spirit of the west wind – traveled, and knew very well this young girls father, who traveled all over the globe of water, throwing fire sticks at the serpe...
Continued from last week As the woman began to dance, in today what we call counterclockwise direction, she was playing her drum and she was singing this song. And the way she was dancing was king of sideways, heel-toe-kind of dance. And so her feet never left contact with the back of the turtle. And she was dancing around kind of slowly, and they say the song that she was singing, even then, is something that is still used today, only by what they call prescription or prescription of a dream. If somebody has a dream, there is this song that...
Continued from last week And so, again, they send all their best wishes with him. And he slaps the water with his tail and down he goes. So they all are kind of waiting for the beaver to come back. And they’re waiting around the turtle shell and the woman’s sitting on the back of it there. And the beaver’s gone quite a long time, and then they notice in the water he’s coming back up. So they all start cheering. And he splashes up out of the water. And they all swim over to him. And he’s thrashing around a lot on the water. And they look in h...
Continued from last week. So they brought her down to the surface of the water. And as they were flying past the animals that were on the water there, they asked that maybe they could find some place that they could set this woman down on , as she was beginning to get heavy for the geese. So the animals gathered them selves together in a council. And they asked for volunteers. Maybe somebody can float up on tip of the water, and this woman could stand on their back. So, they say, right away they had a volunteer. He put up his hand, it was the...
Continued from last week So, this young woman is expecting. And so they had again, a big feast kind of before they sent her out of this world. And they had made her new clothes. And they had provided her with some pouches with some dried food – some meat and fruit. And they had also sent some seeds with der as well. And also some musical instruments from the Sky World they were sending with her. Just in case she had found some place she could grow them, she was sent with those seeds, as well. And they say she went for one last walk through t...
Continued from last week. There was a young woman who had never taken part in this contest before. And then she decided to so this, this one year. And they say on the third day on an her last chance of guessing the dream, she did guess the correct dream, And I’ve never heard what that dream was, but they say that she did guess the correct one. And so right way all of the villagers got extremely excited that somebody had actually got the answer right. And it had been so many years that they had been wishing that this would happen. So the C...
This rendition of the Iroquoian Creation story was compiled by Anataras (Alan Brant) from Tyendinaga. And again, they say, as far as our stories and legends or myths or whatever you want to call them, as far as our information about our culture goes, that this is, I guess, the oldest story that we have. Some of the stories they say go right back to the time of creation or the beginning of man. But this story goes much further past that in history, beyond the beginning of the earth or the world that we understand now, when we look outside. This...
Continued from last week. The text of the treaty continued: Note: It is clearly understood by the parties to this treaty, that the annuity, stipulated in the sixth article, is to be applied to the benefit of such of the Six Nations, and of their Indian friends united with them, as afore mentioned, as do or shall reside within the boundaries of the United States; for the United States do not interfere with nations, tribes or families of Indians, elsewhere reside. As for the United States understanding of the aftermath of the Treaty of...
Continued from last week. Article 6: In consideration of the peace and friendship hereby, established, and of the engagements entered into by the Six Nations; and the United States desire with humanity and kindness, to contribute to their comfortable support, and to render the peace and friendship hereby established strong and perpetual, the United States now deliver to the Six Nations, and the Indians of the other Nations residing among, and united with them, a quantity of goods, of the value of ten thousand dollars. And for the same...
Continued from last week. The terms of Article 4 are deliberately opaque. Pickering, in his report to Secretary of war Alexander Knox, explained why: …the chiefs were desirous of a fresh confirmation of their lands; but were unwilling to relinquish, or give up or use any words of that import, respecting the lands ceded by former treaties to the United States. When I pressed them for the reason for their objection, they would answer, that the lands having been ceded by former treaties, there is no need of saying anything about them. Do you t...
We direct our attention to the Life Forces on Mother Earth; to the waters, which quenches our thirst and provides for the well-being and the strength of plant life; to the animals, who provide us with food, clothing, shelter and beauty; to the trees of all shapes and sizes, who provide us with shelter and fruits of many varieties, to the medicine plants, who are carrying on the Creator’s instructions to cure disease and sickness. We give our thanksgiving to all of these life forces who have continued to follow the Creator’s instructions. For...
Continued from last week Article 2: The United States acknowledges the lands reserved to the Oneida, Onondaga and Cayuga Nations, in their respective treaties with the State of New York and called their reservations to be their property and the United States will never claim the same nor disturb them, either of the Six Nations, nor their Indian friends, residing thereon, and united with them in the free use and enjoyment thereof; but the said reservations shall remain theirs, until they choose to sell the same to the people of the United States...
Continued from last week. Brothers You have attended this treaty a long time the articles which we have signed we hope you fully understand now as we have shown them to you we would wish to know your opinion, whether we have made a good treaty or not, as we cannot read we are liable to be deceived, you have no doubt considered them, we want to know your minds whether there is any flaw or catch in them which may hereafter occasion uneasiness. Brothers If you think that peace is now established on a good foundation we wish you would come forward...
Continued from last week. The Third day of the Council, November 4, 1794, Red Jacket continued: Brother - We the Sachems of the Six Nations will now tell you our minds, the business of this treaty is to brighten the Chain of Friendship between us and the 15 Fires, we told you the other day it was but a small piece that was the occasion of the remaining rust in the Chain of friendship. Brother - Now we are conversing together to make the Chain bright, when we told you what would give us satisfaction you proposed reserving the piece of land...
Continued from last week (United States Library of Congress, Indian Affairs Papers) On September 27, 1794, Pickering wrote: Two runners arrived the day before from Buffalo Creek with a message urging me to hold the treaty there, that I had answered them that I had no authority to remove the Council Fire and that the Treaty must be held at Kanandaigua. That upon receiving this answer, the runners replied that they were directed by the chiefs to inform me that if I could not go to Buffalo Creek they would meet me at Kanandaigua. Two runners...
Continued from last week The actions of New York State, which continued to obtain Haudenosaunee lands through fraud and trickery, combined with the treaties forced on the confederate nations by the United States federal government, were increasing the chances of continued war. By 1794, it appeared that the Senecas, still the largest nation of the Confederacy, were about to join the war in the Ohio country. The United States Commissioner for Indian Affairs was Timothy Pickering (Connisauti), a man with a reputation for integrity on all sides. Wh...
Continued from last week A significant part of the history and culture of the Haudenosaunee and Indians of the United States is the treaty. In last few week’s cultural corner you learned just what is a treaty. An important treaty for the Haudenosaunee is the Canandaigua Treaty, which was signed on November 11, 1794. You may know that this Treaty is commemorated every year on the signing date in Canandaigua. It’s a big event and many Haudenosaunee and non-natives attend this event. As you read the articles of the Treaty (there are only 7) and th...
Continued from last week A report of the Lords of Trade was read in Council at the Court of St. James, November 23, 1761. It states: That it is as unnecessary as it would be tedious to enter into a detail of all the Causes of Complaint which, our Indian Allies had against us at the commencement of the trouble in America, and which not only induced them tho’ reluctantly to take up the Hatchet against us and decimate the settlement on the frontiers but encouraged our enemies to pursue those measures which have involved us in a dangerous and c...
Once upon a time very long ago, there were three sisters who lived together in a field. These sisters were quite different from one another in their size and also in their way of dressing. One of the three was a little sister, so young that she could only crawl at first and she was dressed in green. The second of the three wore a frock of bright yellow and she had a way of running off by herself when the sun shone and the soft wind blew in her face. The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters...
Continued from last week… The 1701 Treaty Conference Lieutenant Governor John Nanfan had succeeded the Earl of Bellomont as the Governor of New York. In early July 1701, “all the Sachims of the Five Nations” arrived at Albany and met with Nanfan “and told him that they were heartily glad to see him in station”. Nanfan replied to their hope that he would continue “the love and affection that former Governors sent by the King of England have had to us the Five Nations”: …You may be assured not only of the favor and protection of the great King...
Continued from last week 4 Strings Wampum (Simcoe Papers II, 131) By the 1840’s, other indigenous nations were also using the Dish With One Spoon as a means of resolving their land issues. In November 1886, the Chippewa of the Thames and the Munceys of the Thames were involved in a dispute over lands the Munceys had occupied in Southwestern Ontario. Chief William Waddilove of the Muncey Delaware’s described how his people had come into the country in the late 1700’s, and said: Our forefathers ever since they came to this country had alway...
Continued from last week (William Johnson Papers, II,705) After the defeat of the French in 1760,the British soon found themselves looked upon as possible arbitrators in hunting territory disputes between the nations who had been allies of France. The Algonquins and Nipissings complained that the Mohawks were trespassing on their Ottawa Valley hunting grounds, which they (the Algonquins and Nipissings) had been harvesting in a gradual and deliberate manner. The British Indian Department officials at first replied that the Royal Proclomation of...
