The Six Nations oldest Living Participatory Democracy on Earth

     

  The Six Nations oldest Living Participatory Democracy on Earth

The Six Nations, also known by the French term, Iroquois Confederacy, call themselves the Hau de no sau nee meaning People of the Long House. The Six Nations include the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and the Tuscaroras, but the Tuscaroras migrated into Iroquois country in the early eighteenth century. All together they make the oldest participatory democracy. A participatory generates opportunities for all member of society to make significant contributions to all political decisions and policies that affect their lives. After reading the article I learned that the first U.S form of government, which was a representative democracy, tried to emulate this form of governance. Benjamin Franklin was highly inspired by the native Americans and he considered natives part of the American identity. Even so that the model of our dollars derives from Iroquois Covenant Chain imagery. I didn’t know this until now, but it's interesting and ironic considering all the conflict and desire to expand into territories occupied by Native American tribes.  

Let us think for a moment, and imagine if we lived in a participatory democracy?   Perhaps, we would be able to see improvements in our lifestyles, more opportunities, the ability for those deeply affected by the system to voice their opinions freely. Who knows…The people of the longhouse really knew what they were doing. They called themselves in this way because its symbolic to unity, longevity, and life. A Mohawk spokesman once said:

"We now plant a Tree whose tops will reach the sun, and its Branches spread far abroad, so that it shall be seen afar off; and we shall shelter ourselves under it, and live in Peace"

https://ecpr.eu/Filestore/PaperProposal/71d7f83c-3fe4-4b11-82a2-c151cd3769f4.p

http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/EoL/chp6.html

http://www.ratical.org/many_worlds/6Nations/EoL/chp8.html

http://www.ratical.org/ratitorsCorner/11.24.96.html

http://www.wou.edu/~tmcwilliams08/659833.pdf

Tenskwatatwa

Tenskwatawa




Tecumseh (left) and Tenskwatawa also known as the prophet (right) were brothers in the Shawnee Tribe.  They had another brother named Cheeseeaku.  I only mention that because Cheeseeaku is always left out of conversations, and I feel he should atleast be acknowleged.  With that being said I want to focus on the story of Tenskwatawa. 


Tecumseh was Chief of the Shawnee Nation, while brother Tenskwatawa was a drunk for most of his life.  In fact Tenskwatawa did not become known as "The Prophet" until he had awoke from self harm and drunken state in which he exclaimed that he had a vision.  The Prophet tells his people that he had died, and went to the world above where he spoke to the maker.  He then lets it be known that he is full of the shining power in which all men once held.  He lets his people know that they had lost the shining power due to things like drinking whisky, wearing the wool of the sheep and eating of the pig.  He says they were happy before they had things such as guns.  All of these European things had brought things like disease to his people.  He says they did not know they were being foolish trading with the Europeans for metals, mirrors blankets, and other things.  They did not want to admit that the Great Good God would see them as foolish.  In his eyes it was the things of the white man like greed that had been destroying their lives.  The creator told him of people using witchcraft and medicine bags for false beliefs.  He asks his people to destroy these medicine bags, and to confess their wrong doings to the Great Good God. "I tell you what I was told! We cannot save ourselves from corruption by doing only little, easy things! Listen! And when you destroy your medicine bags you will make an open confession of all the bad deeds you have done, and beg forgiveness. You heard me confess all my sins, which were much worse than yours,and I did so because it is required by the Great Good Spirit! Only light will cure moldiness; only light will purify your spirits. Soon I will call us all together for this cleansing, and anyone who wants to follow me through the open door to goodness will have to do this,or else be doomed!"-Tenskwatawa (Words of the Shawnee)  The message that he conveyed to his people was a powerful one, but it would be up to them if they chose to follow. 

Work Cited

 

"Words of the Shawnee." Words of the Tecumseh. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2016. 

Local History

So this is my first blog I have every written and been a part of and even read (I've never read anyone's blogs before) and as I read through some of the other posts I see I am not alone!

I am a little late to the discussion as I have had a house full or sick kiddos along with myself and hubby but it gave me a little time to really think about these past couple weeks in this course.  On our first discussion we had to talk about first contact with any Native people that we have seen or met and at that time I couldn't think of anything of that sort and it got me thinking if there is any Native American history in my area closer than the Turning Stone Resort and Casino.  After doing some research I found the National Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine located in Fonda, NY.

I have driven past it a million times and now I remember visiting it at one time with my aunt.  After really looking through the website and learning more about the Shrine I discovered that Kateri Tekakwitha was the first Native American to convert to Christianity. The history is actually pretty interesting.

Also, just prior to the Kateri Shrine is a community called the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community.  They continue to practice native culture on a regular basis and offer many activities for people who are interested in learning more about their community and culture. 

http://www.katerishrine.com/
http://www.mohawkcommunity.com/home.html

Trail of Tears

I briefly learned about the Trail of Tears when I was in high school and when I mean learning, I am referring to the idea that the words walking, Native Americans,  and harsh times were mentioned. Oh, and of course, the words expansion, civilization, growth, and advancement were discussed as well. Never were the terms annihilation, unjust, genocide, or horrific actions mentioned.

As I was doing the reading for the last two weeks and writing the latest discussion, the reality of the matter came alive in my head. Native Americans were forced to relocate time and time again so that the white man could acquire more land (Nabokov, 1999, pp. 145-147). The Trail of Tears was just that a Trail of Tears, Native Americans were being continually forced to move West by the instated Indian Removal Act, while the white man greedily took more land (History.com, 2016). While moving, the Indians suffered and died from such factors as disease, exposure, and starvation (History.com). Not only were the Native Americans forced to leave their lands that they so loved and cherished and related to, they were forced to march in a manner that led to numerous deaths, only to reach a place that was unfamiliar and new to them. If my feet were forced to take that trip, I too, would in fact be crying!

As history lessons in the classroom have begun to evolve over the years, there is still much to be said about the concepts and ideas that are taught that relate to Native Americans. I truly hope that the curriculum begins to adjust for the slight view offered by the white man perspective so that children gain a full understanding of really happened years before they were born. As Oren Lyons so kindly put it, life is an endless cycle, where we protect, honor, and participate and even the worst of people, can change to be the best (Oren Lyons the Faithkeeper, 1991). It is time for the white man to share the wrongs that were committed in the past so that the future can be better.

History.com (2016). Trail of Tears. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears

Nabokov, P. (1999). Native American Testimony. New York, NY: Penguin Book (1991).

Oren Lyons the Faithkeeper. Retrieved from http://fod.infobase.com.library.esc.edu/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=6775

Has the information you have read thus far changed, in some way, your view of native communities?

Has the information you have read thus far changed, in some way, your view of native communities? Provide at least one specific example and citation from the M1 Online Resources to support your opinions.     

Yes and No about the changes of native communities.  After watching "Oren Lyons the Faithkeeper" I really was able to understand and reflect back.  Living in upstate NY my grandmother told me that where I lived Cohoes, NY was named after an Indian tribe the way she explained the story was very interesting I cant remember all of it and I cannot ask again she has passed but the way she said the city I lived in was of how an Indian would talk almost and it opened my eyes because honestly if anyone is around where I live in NY from Cohoes, to Schenectady, to Johnstown if you were to go up RT.7 names of streets Algonquin,
Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga is in Cohoes and it is Cayuga Plaza a place for the elderly to reside on their own, and Seneca.  Cayuga is right near the Cohoes Falls where the story that my grandmother told me the Indian was in a canoe and named my city.  Even turning stone casino it seems no matter where I have traveled in NYS Indians have made their mark and I knew of the story from my grandmother because like I said previously  I have some sort of Indian in me but I really never stopped and thought until I entered this class. Honestly and I know we can all say this we all have something we want to learn more about but with our busy, and hectic lives it doesn't happen so taking this class has opened my eyes on all types of views and one happens to be the amount of area they covered here in NY and how I never stopped to think about it.

Oren Lyons the Faithkeeper. Films on Demand. Films Media Group, 1991. http://fod.infobase.com.library.esc.edu/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=6775

Oneida Indian Nation. The Oneida Connection. http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/home/content/The-Oneida-Connection-114822254.html

   

Blog 1

GANONDAGAN CULTURAL RESOURCES CENTER ONLINE

I reviewed the Ganondagan Cultural Resources Center Online.  I have visited Ganondagan once as a child and found it a very interesting place.  The website was created by Ganondagan (or Friends of Ganondagan).  Ganondagan is the site of a Native American Community that was a “flourishing, vibrant center for the Seneca people”.  The entire site is dedicated to the Ganondagan State Historic Site and what it is, how to contribute to the historic site and projects involving the site, tours and scheduled events and history. There is a site timeline that chronicles the events and efforts that were put forth by individuals to preserve and create the Ganondaga State Historical Site. 

Below is a  picture of the “Bark Longhouse”.  This longhouse was dedicated on July 25, 1998 and it represents the return of a traditional Seneca dwelling in a place where in 1687, the French Marquis de Denonville razed the site. 

 

The web resources that have been suggested in this course seem to follow our text book Atlas of Indian Nations and I think that is why they have been chosen.  The site itself is an education in the Seneca Indians and very informative.  The site’s section “Learn More About the Haudenosaunee” says that one of their main missions is to “share information and teach about the Haudenosaunee, not only in a historical sense but also as the Haudenosaunee people live today”.

This website has reminded me what strong, peaceful people the Six Nations Indians were.  The nations had an agreement that they would live peacefully under an imaginary longhouse that stretched across New York State from the home of the Senecas to the home of the Mohawks.  The Senecas were the keepers of the Western door and the Mohawks were the keepers of the Eastern door.

http://www.ganondagan.org/, Retrieved February 11th 2016 

M1 Academic Journal Blog

                                        Welcome to my first blog, please share and be welcome!
                                                                                                                           -Patrick Prawel-Sexton






"Facial goniometer
Native American skull as measured by a facial geniometer" (APS, 2013)

        As I looked through the resources of this module, my eyes were immediately drawn to the excerpt “Science and scientific images also sometimes contributed to stereotypes of Natives. In the 1800s and early 1900s, many scientists tried to prove that whites were a superior “race” by measuring, recording, and comparing the physical features of people from different ethnic groups.” (APS, 2013)  After reading into this a bit more and looking at some images, this idea of trying to prove a race inferior based on “science” has been attempted before.  I am very interested in the history and evolution of human beings and I watch a lot of videos regarding our family tree and what types of humans existed before or with us but were subsequently weeded out with time. 

       What I find funny is that although there are literally dozens of ancient human skulls that have been discovered, the size of the brain cavity and facial features does not really reveal as much as one would think when it comes to intelligence.  Neanderthals had way larger brain cavities than Homo-sapiens, and guess who’s still here, little head sapiens.  Interesting tidbit, one in four humans of today has Neanderthal DNA in them.

       However, hindsight is twenty twenty, and individuals of that period were misinformed and caused numerous hardships for the native people of the Americas.  One such individual who was responsible for this misinformation was Samuel Morton M.D. who single handedly lead an entire era of racial bias and hatred against native individuals.  He purposefully, tampered with his findings in order to perpetuate his agenda and thankfully was discovered by another prominent member of his field and disproved Morton’s allegations.  “…responding to accusations made by Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002), prominent evolutionary biologist and science historian, who charged, first in a 1978 Science paper and later in The Mismeasure of Man (1981), that Morton had selectively reported data, manipulated sample compositions, made analytical errors, and mismeasured skulls in order to support his prejudicial views on intelligence differences between human groups.” (phys.org, 2011)

       I still think the data one receives form measuring skulls is too minute and not fully understood enough to measure a single species intelligence, the mind is more than the space it takes up.  However, I am pleased to now know that this information is no longer perpetuating stereotypes and in fact the prejudiced researcher is now defaced as a result of his hatred. 

Justice?!?

Works Cited:

Samuel Morton collection of skulls at center of controversy. (2011, June 16). Retrieved February 09, 2016, from http://phys.org/news/2011-06-samuel-morton-skulls-center-controversy.html

The American Philosophical Society. (2013). Native American Images Project. Retrieved February 09, 2016, from https://amphilsoc.org/exhibit/natamimages/stereotypes