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Dakota Brant - My Blog
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Haudenosaunee Seed Keeping and the Future of Food
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic



My mother came home one day and told me a story. On one of her many visits to our82 year old uncle I found him in a frantic rage. The source of his unusual behaviour was a spot near his barn that had recently been dug up. He explained that he had been at the local farmers’ co-op store to get his corn made into pig-chop and a salesman approached him with a can. The man told him to feed the contents to his pigs and they would put on weight really fast. He parted with $30.00, an enormous amount of money for a subsistent farmer and upon returning home settled in to read the label. The contents of the can enraged him. He told her“That man wanted me to feed that to my pigs! What the hell will it do to me?” he was so upset that he took the can and buried it in a hole five feet deep in his yard, stating that the earth would take care of that poison! His reaction to the “poison” is a prime example of the fears of Indigenous people to the topic of this essay, genetic theft and modification of our food.
In light of everything, my family has always been farmers. Like my uncle I have been keeping my own garden at home. One day I was watching a video called “The Future of Food”, which was documenting the issue of genetically modified foods and the future of the legal safety that farmers are losing over their right to grow their own seeds. The reality of the world we live in as Indigenous people is that major businesses, backed by major governments around the world, are coming into Indigenous communities and stealing and patenting the genes of our foods because of their precious biodiversity. This grave issue is so new that there is little information available on the subject of protection for Indigenous peoples and the biodiversity of their seeds. Much of the information I have on this issue is provided by the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism (IPCB). “The IPCB is organized to assist indigenous peoples in the protection of their genetic resources, indigenous knowledge, cultural and human rights from the negative effects of biotechnology. The IPCB provides educational and technical support to indigenous peoples in the protection of their biological resources, cultural integrity, knowledge and collective rights” (IPCB).
How is this kind of future, where major food corporations are stealing Indigenous seeds and patenting the genes of the seed, going to affect the Haudenosaunee? We are farmers by right and by tradition. My essay will be a brief outline of the following thought: we have seeds that have been in our possession since time immemorial, is there currently any government protection for our seeds? Or anybody’s seeds? These are questions that I need logical answers to as I intend to pass on my own seeds to my children; they will need a plan for the survival of their right to grow their own food.
The make a brief definition of it, Genetics is the study of the structure and function of genes and the transmission of genes associated with traits between generations (Howard, 2001). It is the study of why we look like our parents, or why a plant is capable of adapting to its environment over time. It is an honest curiosity that when delving into this field of studying what makes us the way we are, one would begin to wonder if we are able to find those traits in our genes would we not be able to change the ones we do not like? What if we could adopt the traits that are enjoyed by other flora and fauna? The grossly unethical questions begin when we begin to practice those notions. Genetic engineers, under the guise of western scientific advancement and progress in the food industry are mixing the identities of plants, animals and humans for “agricultural and pharmaceutical purposes”. According to Stephanie Howard, Nexia Biotechnologies in Canada is crossing spider genes into goats DNA with the hopes of producing spider silk in their milk. These fibres, providing that all goes “well” with the experimentation will be used in bullet-proof vests and anti-ballistic missile defence systems (Howard, 2001). These engineers definitely deserve snaps in the area of creativity. In 1987, Animal genetics “engineer” Thomas Wagner eloquently clarified the notions genetic engineers have of any sort of morality to the creatures whose genes they are crossing when he said “A cow is nothing but cells on hooves.”
As of 2004 in the US, more than two-thirds of 36 commonly grown types of corn, soy and canola seeds that were known not to be genetically modified were tested and found to have traces of genetically engineered DNA (Weiss, 2004). Although the traces were small, it has proven the capability of these genes to hybrid themselves in plants that were grown without the intention of having them added. If federal rules and farm practices are not regulated, the US may soon be incapable of regulating what portion of its food supply is free of genetic modification. This could have grave results on all markets for organic food -- one of the fastest growing segments of food culture in the West. In Mexico, genetically modified corn is being grown in trial. Mexico is commonly known to be the birthplace of corn and some 5000 “known” Indigenous varieties of the plant. Since the 1930’s it is estimated that over 80% of the country’s traditional corn varieties have disappeared off the face of the earth. Now the remainder of those Indigenous seeds are under threat of genetic modification with the introduction of US customary cash cropping and elimination of bio-diversity (Howard, 2001). The evidence is clear of the lack of regulation and the prospective contamination of heritage seeds; the protection being offered to farmers proves to be meagre at best as well. In June 2000 a case entered the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan federal court pitting Monsanto against small Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser, suing Schmeiser for theft of Monsanto products when Schmeiser’s own Canola seeds became accidentally become crossed with Monsanto’s Round-up Ready Canola seeds. In an interview for “The Future of Food” documentary, Schmeiser had no knowledge of how Monsanto seed entered his crop however he believed they may have blown in from another crop or a passing seed truck. Without Schmeiser’s knowledge, Monsanto had entered his property, took samples of his crops, and tested them in their own labs to find “his seed” to be “their seed”. Monsanto sued Schmeiser for 15 cents/acre, the standard price for their technology. The case was a classic example of David vs. Goliath; however the case was to be viewed as a draw federally; but a loss for farmers and seed savours everywhere. The court ruled that Schmeiser did not have to pay Monsanto for the accidental seeding of his crop however the court recognized that Monsanto had a patent on the seed and therefore should their seeds enter a farmers land, whether knowingly or not; the seed cannot be the property of the farmer (Van Acker). This case should be regarded as a major loss and a point of devastation for all seed growers without a patent on their own seed; including Indigenous people.
The only requirement in the US for the patenting of seeds (and genes) is the same as any other patent you would enter the US Patent office with: as long as it has not yet been patented. This includes seeds that have been both genetically modified, and heritage seeds; this leaves no constitutional protection for Indigenous peoples and pro-biodiversity farmers. It is estimated that Monsanto, a major agriculture corporation in both Canada and the US owns 11 000 seed US patents (The Future of Food). The purpose of this patenting plan would be to own the seed population, and whoever owns the seeds inherently controls the food industry for all countries. Currently, there is a small yet visible movement coming from Indigenous communities around the world. A prime example is the founding of the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism (IPCB). One of the interesting resources the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism has been able to proven in terms of protection has been a sample piece of legislation that can be altered and adopted by any and all tribal governments for the regulation of research in their territories. This document, called the “Indigenous Research Protection Act”, was designed by Indigenous academics and traditional knowledge holders in the IPCB who have the collective ability to know when Indigenous Rights are being violated during research, and collaborated to design legislation that can be adopted by Indigenous Peoples for their own protection. This document includes findings and policy, definitions of research, establishment of review committees within the territory comprised of Indigenous Peoples, research proposal requirements, permits and regulation of biological samples and most importantly consent after full disclosure and consultation. This sample-legislation is an outstanding example of good ideas being pursued across Indigenous borders for the benefit of all Indigenous peoples who are affected by genetic and seed theft.
At this point there is no evidence of government protection for the preservation of Indigenous and heritage seed. Quite the contrary is evident; US patenting laws are protected by the US Constitution. Now that the US Patent Office has made it known that they will admit patents for living organisms, corporations like Monsanto are buying patents for every seed that is within their reach. Groups like the Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism are fighting back in the form of self-determination; Indigenous peoples are asserting for themselves what is their property and they are protecting it. I have a few reflections of my own for the future. I don’t consider myself a wise person. I don’t feel that I have ever had a thought that was unique or ground breaking. My knowledge is more an accumulation of wise advice and insight of many different people. In our lives we learn to survive, to build and to love. Our deepest dreams are inspired by our environment; what our senses tell us. In terms of the environment that we now face as Indigenous Peoples; the world that on a daily basis questions our rights to a sovereign existence, my education is not being inspired by Marx, Che, old white university professors with hair growing out of their ears. My inspiration comes from a little closer to home. Haudenosaunee since time immemorial have been farmers. In spite of what we have gone through as a people it is extraordinary that we can continue to find our hope and responsibility in the land. We are keepers of the Earth and are essentially fighting to save what those large companies are not interested in or value. Despite this responsibility our actions in maintaining our stewardship has lead to the incarceration of many in the foreign Canadian system. The era of Indigenous reclamation and empowerment did NOT begin with the creation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It did not begin with the Indian Brotherhood, the NCAI, or even AIM. It began with the realization that our sustenance and life line were being severed. In light of persecution Our People have an extraordinary ability to remain empowered despite massive losses in our lifeline, in the words of Zach De la Rocha, “Hungry people don’t stay hungry for long.” Indigenous people are now faced with the reality that we will never stop being questioned on our right to exist, not at the pace at which the competitive western world chooses to live and fight each other. On the other hand, the land is us; and we begin with the land. Our gardens will never cease to empower us. Eating our own food is empowerment; singing our seeds songs is empowerment. Depending on nobody but us, that is true sovereignty.


Bibliography

Van Acker (2005), Co-existence of GM and non-GM crops in Canada: Current status and future direction. Second International Conference on Co-existence between GM and non-GM based agricultural supply chains. Viewed on November 24, 2008

Howard, Stephanie(2001), Life, Lineage and Sustenance: Indigenous Peoples and Genetic Engineering: Threats to Food, Agriculture, and the Environment. Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism. Edited by Debra Harry, Brett Lee Shelton. Viewed November 23, 2008

Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism (2008). Indigenous Research Protection Act. http://www.ipcb.org/publications/policy/files/irpa.html.viewed November 26, 2008

Indigenous Peoples Council on Biocolonialism (2008). www.ipcb.org. viewed on November 26, 2008

Weiss, Rick (2004); Study finds seeds tainted with engineered DNA strands, The San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/02/24/MNGV356VH11.DTL Viewed November 26, 2008.

Koons-Garcia, Deborah/Butler, Catherine Lynn (2004). The Future of Food. United States. Lily Films


March 1, 2009 | 4:34 PM Comments  1 comments

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Onhehste’ón:we: “The Original Corn”
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Onhehste’ón:we: “The Original Corn”
Wa’akohyá:ton’ ne: Dakota Brant
Whenever the Haudenosaunee people are talked about in any setting, academic or not, you can be sure of what parts of Haudenosaunee culture and tradition are going to be the point of discussion. The Great Law, Matrilineal heritage and government, and on a lesser scale the Handsome Lake Code, have come to embody the worldview of how one identifies Haudenosaunee core values, beliefs and way of life. This paper will not discuss any of these. Long before there is a Great Law, before we organize ourselves into Clans and produce government, before our value system according to Handsome Lake is brought into discussion: we need to eat! The world in which I was raised taught me that humans are beings with the sole responsibility to feed themselves, their children and keep healthy, fulfilling the instructions that were given to them by the Creator at the time of creation. Ne káti yorihowá:nen nén né:e, é’thone Rotinonhsyón:ni Onhehste’ón:we ne shonkwá:wi ne Shonkwaya’tìson, (For this reason, to the Haudenosaunee people the Creator gives the original corn).
I am proud to be Haudenosaunee. I am afforded the ability to represent My People through both words and actions. I was inspired by my people at an early age and decided that for everyday of my life I would commit to learning the maintenance and practices associated with being a human being. Growing up in Six Nations I learned my roles and responsibilities by being a good listener and observer. My mother Terrylynn (Turtle Clan) raised me and my sisters with a certain lifestyle so we knew how to rely on and have faith in each other. Over the front door of our home hung a sign that read “Mohawk Sovereignty will Never Die.” That kind of lifestyle entailed two things: we grew our food, and we lived away from the road! What has stayed with me from childhood has been the worldview that was imparted to me in the simple act of maintaining the corn seeds of my family.
Sovereignty for my people means the difference between existing as a nation in which we can continue the practice of being Onkwehón:we (an original person, meaning one who continues to follow the original instructions imparted to us by the Creator) and a fallen, captured, and enslaved people. You cannot tell a true Haudenosaunee person that they are Canadian or American, because they are neither European nor subject to European sovereigns. This is what our ancestors believed; this is what we believe. Maintaining seeds equals an act of sovereignty that keeps our relationships in this world true to the integrity of nature and not to the rule of any one human over another. I grew up learning this lesson in the only way my mother knew how to teach it. The seasons of the year passed in a way that while one represented for me getting outside to weed, plant, seeing ugly bugs and running away screaming, another represented the work that needed to be done inside; when cleaning the woodstove my sisters and I lugged heavy ashes to the garden for fertilizer; but not the hardwood because those ashes were special. We burned hardwood on the coldest nights of the year and saved them to lye our corn. There existed a certain peaceful quiet that has been absent to my life since leaving home. The quiet gives you the time and energy to listen and feel for all the things around us that continue the work the Creator gave to them. Wilfred Jamieson, a 94 year old seed grower from Six Nations mentions his own experiences with this quiet and his ability to work in tune with his surroundings.
“I look at things that people just don’t stop and look at no more, the wind, the moons… I like it; it makes me feel like I’m working with the Creator. I ask the creator “I planted the seed. I put the seed in the ground and now it’s up to you to see how they’ll grow.”
I’m only 21 years old; these are not the memories of any of our grandparents, though they may understand the life I come from. My mother raised me knowing that her family is and always was pure bred farmers. I’ve learned from hearing stories of my great-uncles that sovereignty is found in your garden. Our sovereignty has always been in the fact that we can care for ourselves. My favourite story was of how my great grandfather, who was a Mohawk Wolf Clan chief, always planted an extra corn field for the People. The only rule in our house was that you take what you need and you use what you took. You have only Shonkwaya’tìson to thank. My Mother through all of her stories taught me that a Nation is not a Nation until it can feed itself; and we can take good care of one another.
This stressing of the importance of corn in the way of life of the Haudenosaunee people was understood not only by my family, but even recorded to be of utmost importance to our ancestors. In the times dating to colonial America journals of the way of life of the Haudenosaunee have quite commonly made impressed accounts on the sheer sizes of the stores of corn and other food crops within Haudenosaunee villages. Over the course of the 17th century several notable expeditions were dispatched from the French in an effort to break down the power of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, including those of Samuel de Champlain (1615), Courcelles (1655), De Tracy (1666), De La Barre (1684), Denonville (1687) and two separate campaigns by Frontenac in 1692 and 1696 (Parker, 1910). A campaign of note is that of Denonville in 1687 for the accounts that he had made of his expedition concerning the importance to the success of his campaign meaning the destruction of Haudenosaunee corn reserves, and the sheer amounts of corn reserves he had recorded to have been stored within the palisades of the Confederacy:
“I deemed it our best policy to employ ourselves to laying the Indian corn which was in vast abundance in the fields, rather than to follow a flying enemy to a distance and excite our troops to catch only a few straggling fugitives.” (Parker, 1910)
The laying of destruction to the cornfields proved even more devastating to the Haudenosaunee than even the burning of their towns and palisades. Houses can be rebuilt in a matter of days, but fields cannot produce another harvest until the next year. Denonville remained within the area of four Seneca villages within which his men destroyed by fire some 1.2 million bushels of corn.
As far back as the 16th century the scientific community has associated itself with the quest to find the true origins of corn. In many cases it was the hope of western knowledge holders to prove corn to have ancestral origins in the Old World; crediting the Bering Strait Theory for its migration to the New World as well as maintaining an age old belief that New World civilization was not of the sophisticated standards of the Old World to be capable of cultivating and domesticating wild plants. Swiss Naturalist Alphonse de Candolle, credited for the founding of a standard methodology used to find origins of cultivated plants mentions language as being a form of evidence pertinent to the quest to find accurate evidence of plant origin (Warman, 2003). When comparing New World and Old World references to corn there is a distinction to be made. Many New World languages possess a word for corn that is distinct and will not be used for any other grain or plant, both highlighting the importance of the plant in the culture and the age of the word (Warman, 2003). In Mohawk, the word for corn being Onhéhste, cannot be translated into any other word. Most words in Mohawk beginning with an “O” is also an indicator of age; these words being of ancestral origins. Linguistics proves to be a most energetic debate in terms of evidence of corn origins in the world. While in the New World the word for corn in most languages is distinct to a culture or nation, the terms used for the plant in the Old World having origins in local language practices is a rarity. The word for corn in most Old World languages is not unique to the plant. Often the term of reference is borrowed from another culture, such as the word Maize, the word for corn used by the Taino; the Indigenous Nation met by Columbus in 1492 is now a widespread term used for the plant. Columbus himself referred to corn as Mijo, Spanish for Millet. In British English the word corn is used as a generic term of reference for cereals and grain in general. In many African Languages corn is referred to as Egyptian grain, while in Egypt corn is called Syrian or Turkish grain. In France and Spain multiple names are used; Indian wheat, Turkish grain, Spanish wheat (Warman, 2003). Corn in its use in the Old World became so widespread so quickly that corn often replaced not only the Indigenous grain usage but even the very plant to which the Indigenous grain namesakes were referring. As a result, many scholars over the years have attempted to prove the existence of corn in the Old World by referring to old documentation in which the plant was referenced such as the Bible, classic Chinese and Indian texts, only to be later realized that it was not actual corn being referenced but grains Indigenous to the region whose name corn had later adopted (Warman,2003).
While in present times Central America is generally understood to be the birthplace of corn, the debated continues as to which wild plants are the ancestors of domestic corn. One living grass known as Teiosinte is debated to be either a cousin or even the ancestor to modern corn. Other scholars argue that the original wild corn grass is a plant now extinct. While western knowledge holders continue the debate, Corn from the understanding of the Haudenosaunee originates from creation. In the beginning, the Skywoman, who was full in her pregnancy, fell from Karonhiá:ke, the Skyworld, grasping roots of many plants as she fell. She carried with her beans, squash, strawberries, tobacco; all those things we need to have a good life. As she fell, a comet came to her side and gave her corn and a mortar and pestle to take with her to the new world so that she might help herself survive. Skywoman gave birth to her daughter, who in turn died giving birth to twins and to her daughters’ body she gave these seeds. From the Mother Earth birthed the first crops that we need to carry out a good life (Brant, 2009). If you want to know about birth, you go back to the first birth, that of the Skywoman. Katsi’ Cook, a Mohawk midwife from Akwesasne, relates her experiences of birthing and the relationship that connects birthing to corn:
“They say corn is the breast milk of the Mother Earth, and it is very true. Complemented with the beans and squash they create the perfect protein… The very act of husking the corn, is like seeing a new born baby, my how beautiful it is!.. In Mohawk the word for bundling a newborn baby is “putting the husk back onto the corn” so every one of these babies that comes to us is an ear of corn! So that connection is very close to us that corn, the women and the midwifery and the cycles of continuous creation that Skywoman put into place in the beginning, that’s still going on. And so when I am in a field of corn I feel the Creator’s energy in there.”
Living a life in which sovereignty was the main lesson was not easy, or necessarily fun. The hardest part of growing up the way I did was not the smell of canning tomatoes (the smell always made me sick), or waking up early on a school day to frost on my blankets when the fire went too low in the night. The tough part was being called poor and dirty by my schoolmates. My clothes would smell of smoke when I went to school. I hated my Mom for making me go to school in smoke smelling clothes; I was too embarrassed to invite friends over to my house to see that I didn’t even have running water or a colour TV. It took years for me to stop hating myself because I thought I was poor. I have slowly been able to forgive my classmates because I now realize I had more than what they had. What has come out of this lifestyle is this lesson that has been stuck in my head, that the relationship between corn and people is comparable to the first treaty of this land; nature’s treaty with the human being in the Americas. It is the place where the offerings of life, medicine and sustenance from nature have gone beyond just natural offerings to a place where human beings have a hand in that crafting, forging a new type of relationship that embodies every connotation from basic nutritional values, the cropping of it, the whole cycle of life; all represented by this one plant.
What I was able to take away from my childhood is what the old timers had foreseen. All Onkwehón:we (Original People) have experienced a fall from our independence into a lifestyle that will not last forever. Our old ways; they were timeless and self-sustaining. Living a life in which sovereignty was the main lesson was not easy, or necessarily fun. Soil and dust gets everywhere, no electricity meant no air conditioning or TV, summer is too hot and winter too cold. But what has come out of this lifestyle is this lesson that has been stuck in my head by people older and wiser and that I needed to humble myself to understand. The relationship between corn and Our People can be regarded as the first treaty of this land; between Natural Law and the human being in the Americas. It is the place where the offerings of life, medicine and sustenance from nature have gone beyond just natural offerings to a place where human beings have a hand in the crafting of food plant and medicine life, forging a type of relationship that embodies every connotation from basic nutritional values, the cropping of it, the ceremonies and songs involved with it, the whole cycle of life; all represented by this one plant.
With reclamations of both Indigenous identity and rights taking place across Turtle Island, it must be acknowledge that Indigenous Peoples are progressing greatly in our responsibility of reclaiming our children’s birthright. We must remember to acknowledge what that birthright fully involves. We are not reclaiming just a land or a resource; we are reclaiming a lifestyle. Our lifestyle depends on a land-base; they are inseparable. We are sovereign because we answer to no one; but we are bound by the agreements we have with this land. We are the People of the Corn, forging links between us and the women who mothered both us and corn in the very beginning. Sovereignty to me is not a barricade, a smoke shop or a warrior flag; none of these things link us to Creation and it can be very easy to forget this. Sovereignty is hardly the Great Law either, the Kayanere`ko :wa is a link in the long line of things the Creator gave us to survive but it is only a link; not the chain. Sovereignty came to us before that. and it came to us in the form of a garden sprouting from the ground in which the Skywoman’s daughther was buried; our home. Anyone who has the original corn, meaning the majority of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island, and that treaty-like relationship with this land, has a inherent right to live upon it. This is what maintenance of the original corn represents.
Bibliography
Brant, Terrylynn (2009). Interviewed on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. February 21, 2009.

Cook, Katsi (1998). The Gift. The National Film Board of Canada. Directed by Gary Farmer. Produced by Jerry Krepakevich

Jamieson, Wilfred(1998). The Gift. The National Film Board of Canada. Directed by Gary Farmer. Produced by Jerry Krepakevich

Parker, A.C. (1910). Iroquois Uses of Maize and Other Food Plants. University of the State of New York. Albany NY, USA.

Warman, Arturo (2003). Corn & Capitalism: How a Botanical Bastard Grew to Global Dominance. The University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, NC, USA.


March 1, 2009 | 4:31 PM Comments  0 comments

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Turtle Talk, Nov 12th edition
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

This is courtesy of Turtle Island news, you can visit my articles and learn more about "The Turtle Island News' at www.theturtleislandnews.com

This has been an interesting week in US politics. For the first time in history the most powerful political office in the world is being held by a person of colour. Doing a quick internet survey of friends that chose to participate in the US vote, it was easy to see that Barak Obama was the popular pick for native people. I have to admit I was happy, however brief it was, when he did in fact acknowledge Native Americans in his winning speech. What does his election mean for us? Whether we choose to vote or not, his choices will impact our lives. It may be more than we have ever imagined.
Now I would like to say something about the World Economy. The World Economy, in its most basic definition, is something driven by what is valued by people at a given time. Not so long ago people of the world valued land for agriculture, and North America had plenty of it! Unfortunately First Nations people had undisputed ownership over that very thing. The main goal of the US and British/Canadian governments at that time was to get the Indians off that land so that it could be given for free to settlers under the condition that settlers work the land and make a quick contribution to the world economy. Where did the Indians go? Where the land was undesired. Foreign governments of the world put a hoe in one hand and seeds in the other of Indians, some of whom were generally migratory and never farmed in the history of their people. Indians were set up on rocky unworkable land and told to become decent hard working people and farm! Then it became the Indian Agents job to limit permissible travel to local towns (Indians could not leave the reserve without permission of the Indian Agent) to sell their produce so Indians were not taking profit from white farmers.
The result is that First Nations people now find themselves living on what is essentially unliveable land, depending on the rations and scraps of the Canadian and US governments to keep them alive. But that was then; this is now. Most white settlers have put away their plows and set themselves up on oil rigs instead. Cheap energy in the world economy is the new Agriculture. People crave it, people need it, and guess what, Natives have it. Who would have thought that a hundred years after being forced into settlement on unfarmable land surveyors would find this land to be so full of oil, diamonds, uranium, and everything else that makes the world go round? Presently the US is heavily dependant on foreign oil. During this years election it seemed that President-elect Barak Obama was the only candidate with a real exit plan for troops in Iraq. Obama also made promises of depleting the US dependency on foreign energy; this would mean an exit of the American market in Iraq as well. Where does that leave First Nations people? The majority of energy exports coming from traditional territory on this side of the border go to the US. If Obama wants to bring the troops and the energy market home, that means more wheeling and dealing between US and Canada. Energy use must also include energy waste; south of the border, we have already witnessed Tribal governments delving into the possibility of storing nuclear waste on their territory. Extraction of Oil, coal, fresh water and uranium, aside from where it is already happening, is the new “agriculture” in Indigenous lands.
There is still hope, however, in terms of consideration of First Nations people in these affairs. That hope is President Obama. If anyone is going to give consideration to a disempowered people it will be a person of a disempowered heritage. Black and Native people have a shared history of being people who were never asked for what it is they wanted. Our hopes must lie in this new US President because they certainly cannot lie in the Canadian system. While Canadians generally pride themselves in being more liberal and free-thinking than Americans, we have a Black man voted in during an election that according to the Toronto Star had the largest turnout of voters in over 40 years. On the other hand, the recent Canadian election saw the lowest turnout of voters in the history of Canada voting in a stronger Conservative minority, and First Nations have to contend with “free-thinking” people like Dick Pound and Margaret Wente; people hiding their racist upbringing behind their right to free speech. So where will these next four year take us? Its hard to say. What we can be sure of however is Indigenous Peoples will have to keep on doing what they do best; survive, educate, and reclaim. Whether President Obama will prove to be the champion of the under-represented that everyone wants him to be is yet to be discovered.

November 18, 2008 | 4:24 PM Comments  0 comments

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Turtle Talk 7th Edition
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

This week I wanted to do a continuation of my last article. Last week, I dedicated my article to Rotiskenhrakéthe, the strong Haudenosaunee men who do their best to carry on their duties of perpetuating the life of Our People and all Creation. Although I am not a man, I will do my very best to relate what I have learned about their roles and responsibilities by the men who have taught me. Part of our Rites of Passage as young Haudenosaunee deals with getting to know about the opposite gender so that we may understand truly the care and respect we need to have for each other. We must all have an understanding of the other genders mind, duties and spirit if we are to possess that great love for each other that Shonkwaya’tíson meant for us to have.
Long ago, a group of Rotiskenhrakéthe made their way deep into the woods to find meat for their families. They travelled a great distance as game was scarce. Not wanting to go home empty handed, they were determined their task. As time passed they happened upon a great Bear. They believed this bear was so large they could feed all their families if they were fortunate enough to catch it. They were determined not to let it get away; after the great distances they had come to find it. The young fathers, sons and uncles gave chase.
This Bear, being that he was so large and old was the leader of the Bear People. When Our Men hunt, it is hoped that when they are so blessed to see an animal that is this great in size, they will leave these animals alone. Animals that live long lives and grow large are to be respected for their knowledge of survival. We leave these elders alone when out on the hunt so that the young ones can learn survival from them. Imagine if today all of our elders were taken away from us. Imagine the knowledge we would lose. Imagine how feeble our attempts to survive would become. Now try to understand how the young bears would feel to have their own elder and teacher taken away, however this story ends a little differently.
The hunters continued the chase, and the Great Bear used special abilities Shonkwaya’tíson gave him to help himself escape. The Bear began to hover above the ground. The further he ran the higher he rose. The hunters, deeply shocked by this occurrence but determined in the chase, continued the hunt. The Bear rose, higher and higher. He was now running clear across the sky. One hunter, desperate to end the chase, shot an arrow. Next thing every hunter in the group was showering arrows across the sky. The Bear, running across a sky lit by a cool twilight, was hit by one of these arrows. The wound began to sprout and bubble blood that dripped across the land. Blood showered over every leaf of every tree. The Bear, wounded but not killed, ran into the sky where he became stuck in the stars. Today we can still look among the stars and see that Great Bear, also known as the Big Dipper. Every year during the Harvest the Big Dipper tips slightly to drip blood over the trees once again, turning our landscape a deep red. To me the blood is both a sorrowful reminder of those hunters who had to go home to their families empty handed, but a lesson of why we must honour and respect Elders, both human and creature. Rather than hunt for these great leaders of the woods, our Men hunt for the “young men” of those animal people. Our Men do not hunt for the Deer with the largest antlers, or their women or children. Our men hunt for the deer with the little antlers, young and strong Deer who have lived long lives and have no children to care for. These young Deer have instructions similar to those of our own young Men. Shonkwaya’tíson in the beginning told Deer that there would be a time when humans would come looking for food to survive and it is the duty of a Deer to lay down its life. Just as our young strong capable Men lay down their lives for their families and people, so do the young male deer.
Our Men often today wait until the trees turn that blood red before they begin that hunt. Our stories are teachings to be cherished. They are our passageway in reaching back to our Ancestors. We listen earnestly to those stories and what lessons our Ancestors are teaching us. Every story carries a portion of our Original Instructions; those instructions are what make us Onkwehón:we. Nature has been the realm where Men learn from our greatest teachers. Men learn from the animals how People are to live within the natural cycles and balances of the world, to be thankful to all the things that sustain life; and to have great love for one another. Think of nature as one big family working together to sustain life, with humans as the babies and the only creature with the ability to destroy itself. Nothing exists to destroy itself or others accept humans. Because of the choice given to us by Shonkwaya’tíson and his brother we can either encourage life or destroy it. From both nature and the life lessons our Ancestors impart with us through stories we learn how to deter from our instinct to destroy and formulate for ourselves what it means to respect, show appreciation, have gratitude for ourselves and others, have responsibility for ourselves and others; and above all to help life continue.


October 16, 2008 | 6:52 PM Comments  0 comments

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Turtle Talk 6th Edition
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

A few days ago I looked out the window and saw the faintest traces of red coming back to the sumac. Autumn is coming. When autumn comes the minds of our men turn to what’s going on outside. I’ve heard my dad talk about how the air changes at this time of year and that basic urge to hunt takes over our men’s minds. I was once told that when the sumac reddens that is the time our men took the medicines they needed to protect them and dull their personal scent so the deer would not smell them approaching during the hunt.
The deer hold a place of honour among Haudenosaunee because he sacrifices the most precious gift Shonkwaya’tìson has given any of us; his life. By laying down his life he is keeping the promise he made to Shonkwaya’tìson at the time of Creation to help us survive in this world; and that promise deserves our thanks. When Rotiyanéhshon (Titleholders) are being raised in the presence of their peers; we place the Horns of Office on their heads. These horns are of deer antler because of that sacrifice the deer has made; and to remind our Leaders of the sacrifice they too must make for our People.
I have a great father. He was the only man in my family; the rest of my family is women. From that one example of a Haudenosaunee man I’ve had in my life I learned a lot about the responsibility of men, and what I am to expect in a good father for my own children. The person I am today I can attribute to the sacrifice and work my Dad did so that I might have the opportunities I had. He worked far away in Ingersoll while I grew up; and always made it home for when I needed him. Every vacation day he ever had at work he took based on what my sisters and I needed. A hockey practice, a dance class, a lacrosse game; he made the time to be there. Of all the things he could have done with his life; he chose to be a father with a place in his daughter’s lives. The only thing he ever seems to do for himself is his highly anticipated hunting trip with his hunting buddies every fall; and that is to provide US with meat.
The greatest gift we are given by our Men; our fathers, husbands and brothers, is the commitment of their strength and their lives for their families. That is what they do; we hardly find the time to thank them enough. In Mohawk we refer to these men as Rotiskenhrakéthe. There are many opinions of the origin of this word; some say it means the Men Who Carry Rust on Their Backs, or dirt, blood, or some red coloured substance. What can be agreed on however is these are the Men of the family who are strong and capable of carrying the responsibility of the perpetuation of life. In the time before the Great Law these men were the ones who went on the warpath and killed each other because the Mind of Sahwískara, the Creator’s Brother consumed them. Peacemaker condoled their minds and led them away from that way of life. Peacemaker helped these men bury the hatchet of war and instead put tools for the hunt into their hands. And so since that time the dominion of men has been where the hunt takes place.
A man doesn’t have to be a father to begin his duty of being a good role model for his People. Any man at the age of our fathers can be considered our uncles; despite my father being the only man in my family I still feel rich with the many men who have been my uncles while I grew up. Some of them taught me respect, some taught me to be truthful, others taught me of Ka’nikonhrí:yo (the Good Mind), others taught me my language; I thank them all for above all teaching me to love and care for both myself and my People. Looking out at that reddening sumac reminded me of these Rotiskenhrakéthe, carrying the burden of perpetuating our very existence as Haudenosaunee.


October 16, 2008 | 6:52 PM Comments  0 comments

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