Monday, April 18, 2011


I've been working with wampum beads lately; going into the schools to show students the 2Row. They've been very cordial and interested in the stories as well as the beadwork itself. We make string wampum with the 2Row pattern as it's easiest to do in the short time available. I usually start with introductions in the Oneida language, interpreting as I go. Then I do the short form Kanuhelatuksla/ga-new-hey-law-duke's-law ... Thanksgiving address. The French immersion students especially enjoyed the language aspects and the part about how the word Iroquois came to be what we're called as a people rather than our own name of Hotenoshone/hoe-den-o-show-nay or Longhouse People. Iroquois is from the French, who, when they experienced the tenacity and guerrilla-like warfare of our warriors as 'we' sprung up from the grasses, bushes or down from the trees, they called us snakes ... specifically adders. It may seem like an insult, but after learning more about our history, I am proud of that name tho' I use it only in the context of teaching. The French and British both realized the value of having our warriors on their side tho' most of our people wanted to stay neutral in their disputes. Only fighting for our survival was necessary. One good read is Pierre Burton's The Invasion of Canada 1812-1813.

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