KAHNAWAKE-
A Historical Sketch
Forward
Kanien'kehaka
Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa was established at Kahnawake in 1978.
One of Cultural Center's aims is to facilitate among our people an awareness
of the background and development of Kahnawake from its inception in the
early 1600s to the present day.
We at Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa believe that we cannot
survive as a people, as an identifiable community (Kahnawake), and as
part of a nation (the Mohawk), unless we know and can articulate the events
of our history that significantly demonstrate our spiritual, social and
political development. We cannot know where we are going in the 1980s
and beyond, nor can we determine out future, unless we know where we have
been.
This publication, "Kahnawake, A Historical Sketch", is the first
in a series of booklets, twenty-five to thirty-five pages in length, on
forces, events and personalities in Kahnawake history. The author, David
Blanchard, is an ethnohistorian who has been doing primary research on
the history of Kahnawake since 1974. He is the designer of the Iroquois
exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and is presently
assisting with the social studies curriculum at the secondary level Kahnawake
Survival School.
Other forthcoming titles in this series are: "Tecaughretanego, The
Elements of Mohawk Leadership", and "Travels Through Kanienkeh:
Spring 1755".
A.
Brian Deer
Kahnawake
March 1980
Forward
Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa was established at Kahnawake in 1978. One of the Cultural Center's aims is to facilitate among our people an awareness of the background and development of Kahnawake from its inception in the early 1600s to the present day.
We cannot survive as a people, as an identifiable community (Kahnawake), and as part of a nation (the Mohawk), unless we know and can articulate the events of our history that significantly demonstrate our spiritual, social and political development. We cannot know where we are going in the 1980s and beyond, nor can we determine our future, unless we know where we have been.
This publication, "Tecaughretanego; Elements of Mohawk Leadership", is the second in a series of booklets, twenty-five to thirty-five pages in length, on forces, events and personalities in Kahnawake history. The author, David Blanchard, is an ethnohistorian who has been doing primary research on the history of Kahnawake since 1974. He is the designer of the Iroquois exhibit at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and is presently assisting with the social studies curriculum at the secondary level Kahnawake Survival School.
We live in a time when many people question the quality of leadership that we have, both on a national level and in our own local communities. "Tecaughretanego; Elements of Mohawk Leadership", is an attempt to reflect on the leadership qualities of one of our Kahnawake Mohawk grandsires.
A.
Brian Deer
Kahnawake
May, 1980
Forward
"Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa was established at Kahnawake in 1978. One of the aims of Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa is to facilitate among our own people an awareness of the background and development of Kahnawake, from its inception in the mid-1600's to the present day.
We at the Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa believe the we cannot survive as a people, as an identifiable community (Kahnawake), and as part of a nation (The Mohawk), unless we know and can articulate the events of our history that significantly demonstrate our spiritual, social and political development. We cannot know where we are going unless we know where we have been."
A.B. Deer
This
portfolio of photographs obtained by Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na
Raotitiohkwa from the Public Archives of Canada documents an unhappy chapter
in the history of Kahnawake; the seizure of Mohawk land by the Saint Lawrence
Seaway Authority, for the construction of a canal to bypass them Lachine
Rapids. These photographs are reprinted here as a chronicle of theft and
as a vivid portrayal of what will happen to native lands across North
America if native people do not remain forever vigilant.
Today the Quebec government is considering building a dam across the St.
Lawrence River, a situation that will necessitate the seizure of yet more
Mohawk land.
Kahnawake
May 1981
Forward
Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa is a cultural education center located in Kahnawake, about fifteen kilometers southwest of Montreal. Established in 1978, the primary aim of the center is to insure the preservation and survival of the language, culture, history and heritage of the Kanien'kehaka (Mohawk) Nation, in particular the Kanien'kehaka of Kahnawake. A secondary aim is to promote non-native awareness of Kanien'kehaka culture, history and heritage in the communities and institutions surrounding Kahnawake.
We at Kanien'kehaka Onkwawén:na Raotitiohkwa believe that we cannot survive as a people, as an identifiable community and as a part of a nation unless we know and can articulate the events of our history that significantly demonstrate out spiritual, social and political development. We cannot know where we are going in the 1990's and beyond, nor can we determine our future, unless we know where we have been.
This publication is the continuation of a series of booklets on forces, events and personalities in Kahnawake history. The booklet presents a number of factors that make the Kanien'kehaka who they are. The Kanien'kehaka maintain an oral tradition: as such a definitive version of the stories presented here does no exist. Each section of the text is an integration of several version of available material covering the topics presented.
Kahnawake
July, 1991
