A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
Darren Bonaparte explaining the Hiawatha Belt. Photo: Derrick Lafrance.
Middle School singers with a gift of song for Kim Russell who will be retiring soon from SRCS. L-R: Cecilia Crew, Kaidence Sunday, Ariyah Lafrance, Karennahawi Barnes, Shelby Jock, Gardyn Robertson and Ariyanna Bearshield. Photo: Derrick Lafrance.
Kim Russell received a big sendoff for her retirement this month. Photo: Derrick Lafrance.
Starlyn Mason, left, and Elle Cree performing in the Social. Photo: Derrick Lafrance.
One of the pieces made by members of the Haudenosaunee Arts Club. Photo: Derrick Lafrance.
Serving up Strawberry Drink and Fried Bread. L-R: Layla Adams, Carla Mitchell, Destiny Lazore, Summer Cook and Tehaniehtahrowanions Jackson. Photo: Derrick Lafrance.
By Derrick Lafrance
A piece of our history and culture was brought to the Fort Covington school last week.
On Tuesday, November 26 the school marked the end of Native American Heritage Month with activities designed to show our neighbors the rich history in Akwesasne.
A Social was held in the gym over two sessions. The Akwesasne Men's Singers performed and were joined by native and non-native students alike to the various dances. The Round Dance, Stomp Dance and Smoke Dance were performed, and each dance was preceded with the story behind them. As with the younger kids earlier in the day who had a fun time with the Duck Dance, the high school guests had a similar good time.
The Haudenosaunee have a rich history which is passed down orally instead of written down. Another way of telling our story is through Wampum Belts. The Salmon River Native American Day Celebration had Darren Bonaparte as guest, and he gave a talk about Wampum. Bonaparte is a historian and author from Akwesasne and has written several books and also has a website called "The Wampum Chronicles." When Bonaparte was younger, he accompanied his brother – the late Brad Bonaparte – to presentations by great orators like Tom Porter, Ernie Benedict, and Myron Clute, and Brad and Darren learned from them. Darren's natural love of history helped in his decision to become a historian and author telling the story of Wampum to audiences all over North America. He told the Salmon River audience the many ways Wampum is used in the Haudenosaunee way of life such as meetings, warfare, conflict resolution and other inter-tribal matters. To illustrate he has an extensive collection of Wampum belt replicas which he uses on his tours.
Also at the Salmon River event there was a special ceremony honoring the retirement of Kim Russell. She has worn several hats over the past ten years at SRCS and her contributions to the school were many. A middle school singing group sang a song for her and thanked her for her many years of dedication to the students.
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