Iroquois History and Legends

Join Andrew as he channels his inner word-nerd and talks about how the vocabularies of Native languages influenced English. He also discuses the characteristics of the "Iroquoian Languages", what they are like and how people are striving to save them after hundreds of years of efforts to eradicate them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Known as the "Lilly of the Mohawks" Kateri was a Mohawk woman born in the mid 17th century. After being baptized by Jesuit missionaries she became a Christian that worked to incorporate her faith fully into her native culture. Three centuries after her death she was canonized as a Catholic Saint in 2012. This week we are joined by journalist Peter Jesser Smith as he unpacks her life and legacy. A Lily Among Thorns The Mohawk Repatriation of Káteri Tekahkwí:tha By Darren Bonaparte · 2009 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perry Ground is a member of the Onondaga Nation. He belongs to the Turtle Clan and has spent the past 30 years as an oral storyteller. Preforming and sharing traditional Haudenosaunee stories is his passion. Listen to why telling stories is an important part of every culture. To have Perry come and visit your group you can contact him through his website at https://talkingturtlestories.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1862, after struggling for over a year to join the war effort dozen of men from the Seneca and Tuscarora nation were finally given a chance to showcase their prowess and courage. Notes Armstrong, William H. Warrior in Two Camps: Ely S. Parker, Union General, and Seneca. Syracuse University Press, 1978. Federal Publishing Company. The Union Army A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States 1861-65 — Records of the Regiments in the Union Army — Cyclopedia of Battles — Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers Volumn VI Cyclopedia of Battles — Helena Road to Z. United States Army Reports. Madison, Wisconsin: Federal Publishing Company, 1908. Gibson, Arrell Morgan. "Native Americans and the Civil War." American Indian Quarterly (Oct. 1985): 385–410. Hauptman, Laurence M “A Seneca Indian in the Union Army: The Civil War Letters of Sergeant Isaac Newton Parker”, 1861-1865” 1995 Hauptman, Laurence M. The Iroquois in the Civil War: From Battlefield to Reservation. Syracuse University Press, 1992. https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/army-logic-tuscarora-company-civil-war https://web.archive.org/web/20101224094712/http://civilwarreference.com/battles/detail.php?battlesID=1271 Images of America Tuscarora Nation Bryan Printup and Neiil Patterson Jr. Arcadia Publishing 2007 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Snowsnake is one of the most popular indigenous winter sports. Not only for people in the Haudenosaunee community but for dozens of other nations and tribes as well. Learn about how this entertaining game is played through today's story about two young boys who fall into an argument about the outcome of a Snowsnake match. Story based on the traditional tale as told in, "Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children", by Mabel Powers (Yeh Sen Noh Wehs) published 1917 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fox and Raccoon continue their contentious relationship in this short story. Based on Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children by Mabel Powers [1917] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few years after the Civil War, General Grant became President Grant and his friend Ely was appointed the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. He was the first indigenous person to hold the office. Today we finish our three part series on the life of Ely Parker The Life of General Ely S. Parker by Arthur C. Parker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W0LEWL0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Warrior in Two Camps by William Armstrong https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Camps-Iroquois-Their-Neighbors/dp/0815624956 The "Real Story" Behind the Marriage of Ely S. Parker and Minnie Orton Sackett By Jare Cardinal http://www.pbs.org/warrior/content/timeline/hero/wedding.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It could be said that Ely Parker was the most famous Seneca man of the 19th Century. The grandnephew of Red Jacket became a teenage diplomat, interpreter, aspiring lawyer, domestic engineer and Sachem all before the age of 30. The crazy thing is, that is not at all what he is remembered for. Later in life he would become a General in the Civil War, a Wall Street broker and the first Indigenous person ever to be the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. In this episode we look at the early years of Ely S. Parker. References: The Life of General Ely S. Parker by Arthur C. Parker https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W0LEWL0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Warrior in Two Camps by William Armstrong https://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Camps-Iroquois-Their-Neighbors/dp/0815624956 American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by John Meacham https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FA0JSM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children by Mabel Powers (Yehsennohwehs) [1917]. Recorded with Ezra Guite Cotter and Ethan Cotter. It was some moons after the raccoon outwitted fox, before they again met. The raccoon was hurrying by, when fox saw him. Now the fox had not forgotten the trick the raccoon had played on him when he burned his mouth with what he thought was magic pawpaws. But it was really a fire ball. So the fox started after the raccoon. He was gaining, and would have caught him, had they not come to a tall pine tree. The raccoon ran to the very tiptop of the pine tree. “Try and get me up here Fox”, said raccoon There he was safe, for the fox could not climb. The fox lay down on the soft pine needles and waited for the raccoon to come down. The raccoon stayed up in the pine tree so long that the fox grew tired and sleepy. He closed his eyes and thought he would take a short nap. The raccoon watched, until he saw that the fox was sound asleep. Raccoon sat on the tree for a long while and when he tired to move he noticed that his paws were sticky. And then he smiled and said to himself, “I know how to deal with fox” Then he took in his mouth some of the sap from the pine tree. He ran down the tree and quietly rubbed the pitch over the eyes of the sleeping fox. The fox awoke. He sprang up and tried to seize the raccoon, but, alas! he could not see what he was doing. The lids of his eyes were held fast with the pine tar. He could not open them. The raccoon laughed at the fox's plight, then ran and left him. Try and catch me now fox! Said raccoon The fox lay for some time under the tree. The pine gum, as it dried, held the lids of his eyes closer and closer shut. He thought he should never again see the sun. Some birds were singing near by. He called them, and told them of his plight. He asked if they would be so kind as to pick open his eyes. The birds flew off and told the other birds. Come and help us Soon many of the little dark songsters flew back to where the fox lay. Then peck, peck, peck, went the little bills on the eyelids of the fox. Bit by bit they carefully pecked away the pine gum. If one grew tired, another bird would take its place. At last the fox saw a streak of light. Soon the lid of one eye flew open, then the other. The sun was shining, and the world looked very beautiful to the fox, as he opened his eyes. He was very grateful to the little birds for bringing him light. He told them to ask what they would, and he would give it to them. The little birds said, "We do not like the dark feathers which the Turkey Buzzard gave us. We want to look like the sun” The fox looked about him. Beautiful sunflowers were growing near. He pressed some of the bright yellow color from them, and with the tip of his tail as a brush, he began to paint the dark little birds like the sun. The birds fluttered so with joy, he thought he would paint the bodies first. Before he could brush the wings and tails with the sun paint, each little bird had darted away, like a streak of sunshine. Thank you, Thank you So happy and light of heart were the birds, that they could not wait for the fox to finish the painting. This is why goldfinches are yellow like the sun. It is why they have black wings and tails, why they flutter so with joy, and why they never finish their song. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Based on "How an Indian Boy Got His Name" an Iroquois tale as told by Mable Powers (Yen-Sen-Noh-Wehs) in 1917. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Director Garrett Wendt joins the show to discuss his upcoming documentary. We talk about what inspired him to undertake this massive project. We touch on the Haudenosaunee influence on the Women's Rights movement, as well as learn about abolitionists Charle Finney and Fredrick Douglas. You don't want to miss this film! For more information click here: https://iamrochester.com https://www.facebook.com/RochesterMovie/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fall of 1812 thousands of American forces gathered on the Niagara River to attack Upper Canada. But 80 Members of the Six Nations of Grand River made sure that the invaders didn't get very far. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.