Kentyohkwenhahsta: the people’s wampum forever growing

We the people of this great creation have always been the ‘story tellers’. We are Onkwehonwe – the Real People. We share the knowledge that our ancestors have always given to us. Our ancestors tell us to always remember what is being said. To keep our ears open and to speak the truth. We are the oral tradition of our ancestral voices. We cannot lose those stories. They explain who we are and who we’re meant to be.

We need to remember that we have been given roles and responsibilities as men, women, children and elders. The men are the protectors and the providers. They are the uncles to other young men. They are to help these young men to become men.

The women are the disciplinarians, the teachers, the gatherers, and they help the young women become a woman. The women are given a great gift and that is to be the life givers. They bear the future generations and with that they carry the voice.

The children are also given roles and responsibilities. They must help with the siblings, and do chores within the home and help with the elderly. They must always listen to what is being said to them.

The elders also have a great duty. They share and pass on all what has been said to them by their elders. They of all the generations know what is to be said and done for they have been on this earth the longest. They sit and tell stories to the young people while their parents hunt and cook. We must always remember to listen to our elders. They carry with them years and years of knowledge. When they pass this knowledge on to you it is not meant to be kept a secret. When we lose an elder we do not want their stories to die with them that is why they tell them. They tell us these great stories so that when we pass them onto our children, our children will always know who they are.

It is true that our past generations have suffered a great damage to the lives of which they once lived. Where once our people hunted, fished, gathered and celebrated the land was damaged by the white man’s invasion. It is a known fact that our lands were raped of our trees and our waters became spoiled. What was once hunted and used for food and the hides for warmth became a trophy for the white man.

With the invasion came genocide, assimilation, disease and sickness, residential schools, CAS, hangings and the rulings of a white man’s government. The people were forced off their lands or left to starve and die. Our native language was not to be spoken and our ceremonies were seen as witchcraft. Our children were taken from us to live a life that had no value to them. Our men and women went missing or were murdered. The people encountered many atrocities to their way of life and it will take years to find our way back to the natural way of life that had been given to us.
It is has always been known that we as a strong people know how to survive. For we are here today. We have our stories, we have the knowledge to pass on, we have our ceremonies and we have each other. All has not been lost. We are all learning to stand back up and fight for what we have left.

They cannot take from us any longer. Our children will remain in our homes, our ceremonies will stay in the longhouse, our elders will be taken care of and respected, our people will find their way back to their families and traditions will learn to do away with life on the streets, our men and women will maintain their roles and responsibilities and our voices will be heard.

Now we the people have been put to the test – a test of true sovereignty whereby we Onkwehonwe use the Kayanyere’kowa as our governing constitution along with Tekeni Tsyohate which our ancestors brought to us. That means that we must bring the original 49 families together and unite the nations and clans. To do this, we need the people – men, women, children and elders to fulfill their responsibilities and honor their original instructions.

We are calling upon and inviting all surrounding nations from all territories to gather and share your knowledge. Come sit with us and tell your stories. Here on Six Nations two gatherings have taken place at The Barn on Chiefswood Rd.

We have asked the Oneida nation to host the next gathering and they have accepted. We invite all nations and territories on Dec 6th to gather with us to Oneida, ON. If more information is needed as to time and place feel free to text 519-754-5733 or email otayohni67@yahoo.com or check on Facebook for the event.

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