This morning I had a wonderful massage at NCCC. The massage therapist I had this morning is a native American of the Mohawk Nation. It's sad that Americans have so little knowledge about native Americans, especially those that are our neighbors in the North Country. I took the opportunity to ask a few questions.
The Mohawks are a tribe composed of three clans. My therapist is a member of the Wolf Clan. She didn't learn to read english until after the sixth grade because she attended the Akwesasne Freedom School. This is a K-8 school formed to preserve the Mohawk language and customs. The students go to the longhouse to celebrate the 15 holidays.
"Mohawks" actually call themselves Kahnawa:ke (Kanien'kehá:ka) which means "people of the flint". The word mohawk, meaning "man-eater" was actually bestowed upon them by their enemies either the Algonquin or Europeans. The women of the Kahnawa:ke have a lot of power. They approve the names of all new borne children and as Clan mothers they chose the members of the tribal council. Akwesasne (the reservation) means "Land where the partidge drums".
How much of this I get correct can be problematic. Akwesasne and it's people are spread out in settlements located in New York, Ontario and Quebec. Mohawks have their own problems in that in some cases there are two sets of chiefs: the traditional hereditary chiefs nominated by the clan mothers and then the elected chiefs with whom the USA and Canadian governments negotiate.
I don't know how reliable the information is on many of these sites that are not owned by the Mohawks. But here are a few links:
Mohawk tribe history
Mohawk Chiefs and Leaders (Hiawatha, Joseph Brant)
Akwesasne museum
Akwesasne Cultural Center
Akwesasne Wolves Hockey
Akwesasne Aeros Hockey
Peace 4 Turtle Island
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