Indigenous Arts & Stories - The Prophet and The Martyr

The moment in Aboriginal history that I have chosen to focus on is every single time an Aboriginal Woman is raped, abused and murdered. Every single time her loved ones search for her, miss her, and weep for her; and every single time she uses all her strength to move forward in this world and in the next. According to Statistics Canada “13% of all Aboriginal women aged 15 and older living in the provinces stated that they had been violently victimized.” Overall, Aboriginal women reported experiencing close to 138,000 incidents of violence and were almost three times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report having been a victim of a violent crime” and according to the Native Women’s Association of Canada, “Statistics Canada does not have enough data to produce reliable estimates of sexual assault against Aboriginal Women in Canada.” As a victim of sexual assault, I wonder, what does that mean for the rest of the Aboriginal Women in Canada and across the continent? This piece is for a present in which we can stop these atrocities and a future where our Mothers, Daughters and Elders are safe.

The two women in the piece play the characters of the Savior and the Saint. The Savior, being the figure to the left, who takes the form of Hiawatha and Jesus. Dekanawida sits on her shoulder and whispers to her. The Saint, who is on the right, is being martyred for her people. They hold each other’s hand for support.

I became inspired to do this piece while I was reading the Traditional Teachings. I was incredibly touched by the gesture of the funeral rights. I thought of those who will not have a proper burial and I thought of Hiawatha mourning his Daughters. I thought of Tiffany Morrison. I thought of the day they found her under the Mercier Bridge. I remembered the pain and shame of being sexually assaulted but I also remembered the strength of the women that I have met while working in Kahnawake. I thought of the love and safety that The Creator and Jesus offer their Daughters.

My name is Kaia’tanoron Dumoulin Bush and I am 6 Nations Mohawk from Kahnawake. I live with my Mother and my Sister outside of the reservation. I work in Kahnawake, teaching grade 2-4’s violin after school in the El Sistema program. I have been sexually assaulted 3 times.

1 Brennan, Shannon. 2011. Violent Victimization of Aboriginal Women in the Canadian Provinces, Statistics Canada. Publications, Juristat. 85-002-X. Modified: 2011-05-17. Web. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2011001/article/11439-eng.htm
2 Native Women’s Association of Canada. Fact Sheet: Violence Against Aboriginal Women. Akwesasne, Ontario. http://www.nwac.ca/sites/default/files/imce/NWAC_3E_Toolkit_e.pdf, www. nwac.ca



Texts Used in Collage:

Address for the Funeral of An Infant or Young Woman

104th Wampum

You were a tender baby and gladdened our hearts for only a few days. Now you have left your family to travel to The Creator. Let nothing that happened while you lived stop you from your travels.
We are now of one mind as you start your journey. We release you for we know it is no longer possible for you to walk together with us on earth. We lay your body here, and we lay it away. We say to you, “Pass on to the place where The Creator dwells, let nothing happening here hinder you, do not let action while you were alive prevent your journey , let not the things which gave you pleasure slow you down, while you were here many feasts were given for you. All theses things that were yours do not let them trouble you. Do not let your relatives and friends trouble your mind. Go in peace, disregarding all things.” To the relatives of the deceased, look to the path that will be yours one day. Because of this, watch yourselves as you go from place to place. Do not be idle in your acts or with your words. Do not give way to evil behavior. One year is the time that you must abstain from unseemly activities but if you cannot do this for ceremony, ten days is the length of time to regard these things for respect.

105th Wampum

When an infant dies within three days, mourning shall continue only five days. Then you will gather little boys and girls at the house of mourning and at the funeral feast, a speaker shall address the children and tell them to be happy once more, though by death, sadness has been cast over them. The children shall be happy again.

106th Wampum

When the dead person is brought to the burial place, the speaker on the opposite side of the Council Fire shall tell the bereaved family to cheer their minds once more and rekindle their hearth fires in peace, to put their house in order and once again be happy for darkness has covered them. The black clouds shall leave and the bright sky can be seen once more. They shall be at peace in the sunshine again.

107th Wampum

Three strings of shell, one span in length shall be employed in addressing the assemblage at the burial of the dead. The speaker shall say: “ Listen, those of you who are here, this body is to be covered. Assemble in this place again in ten days time, for this is the Law of The Creator that mourning shall end when ten days have passed. Then a feast shall be made.”
Then at the expiration of ten days, the speaker shall say: “ Continue to listen. The ten days of mourning have passed and your mind must now be freed of sorrow as before the loss of your relative. The relatives have decided to make compensation to those who have assisted at the funeral. It is an expression of Thanks. This is to the one who did the cooking while the body was lying in the house. Let her come forward and receive this gift and be dismissed from the task.”

The Prophecies

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

In the future we will see a time when our Chiefs will no longer be one of mind while they sit in Council. There will be great confusion among them. They will not be able to decide on matters and will keep passing these issues back and forth among themselves. At the same time, the government of the white people will also be weakening and in a state of confusion.


NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

The Messengers told Skanientariio that in the future there will be a time when the people here on earth will no longer believe in what you are preaching. The messengers tell us that when this time comes it will be a sign that Sonkwaiatison will soon be changing the conditions of the world.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS


In the future our people will see a form of transportation that will not be pulled by a horse or pushed by anything. Many of the people will enjoy this form of transportation, and also many will die from it.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

Our people will see many changes in the future. They will see things flying in the sky above us made of metal. This will be another form of transportation that people will will like.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

In the future, we will see an old woman, long past the age of child-bearing, and at that age, she will again be with child.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

In the future, we will see our young children bearing children of their own at a very young age.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

There will be a day coming when you will see the trees start dying from the top down: the rivers will become unfit to drink or swim in, and the fish will float on the top of the waters. Our wells will also be unfit to drink.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

In the future you will see a day coming when we will no longer be able to carry on our ceremonies, for our children will not be able to speak their own language. It will be at this time that all the great changes of the earth will take place in the not too distant future.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

In the future you will see a time when people who practice witchcraft will be boasting about how many people they have killed and they will be transforming themselves from one animal to another in broad daylight.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

In the future there will be a time coming when there will be diseases that will come upon our people. We will not know what it is, how to cure it, and it will kill many of our people.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

There will be a time when we will see our grandfathers and grandmothers and other elders, as well as children, go to bed without being sick at all. We will find them dead in the morning and we will not know the cause of their death.

The messengers will tell us that this will be a sign that Sonkwaiatison will now start to pull back his children and elders. When this happens, the world will start to change very rapidly.

NOW WE WILL TELL YOU OF ANOTHER TO TELL YOUR RELATIONS

In the future you will see a time come when many of the people will no longer believe in the Kaianerekowa, the Kariwiio, or any of our traditional beliefs.


Mitchell, Mike Kanentakeron et. Al. Traditional Teachings. Native North American Travelling College. Akwesasne, Ontario. Pages 60-61, 80-81. Text.


The Iroquois Creed

He believed in an all-powerful Great Spirit, in the immortality of the soul, in a life everlasting and in the fraternity of all life.
With an Iroquois, a thankful heart was prayer.
He did not seek to instruct the Great Creator
what to do on earth or in the sky world,
for he had faith in The Creator’s wisdom.
The Creator knows what is right and best.
He believed it is natural to be honorable and truthful and cowardly to lie.
His promise was absolutely binding.
He hated and despised a liar and
and held all falsehood to be a weakness.
He believed in reverence for his parents,
and in their old age he supported them,
just as he expected his children to support him.
He honored his mother and his father and their
fathers before them.
He believed in a forgiving spirit,
preferring atonement to revenge,
in converting enemies to friends.
He believed in peace,
The sentiment of universal brotherhood
was always his policy.
Hospitality was his prime virtue.
No people were more generous.
He did not believe in Tyranny,
and he treated his wards with justice,
tolerance and restraint.
He had no caste system, believing in
democracy, equality and brotherhood.
He coveted no titles,
but believed all men are equal.
He did not covet property, either.
and theft among Iroquois was unknown.
He believed in cleanliness of the body
and purity of morals.
Chastity was an established principle with him.
He believed that a truly great man was
one who had done something for his people,
not one who had accumulated much wealth.
He believed the earth is the mother of all things,
and therefore no one owned the soil
and no one has more title than another.
His whole civil policy was averse to the concentration
of power in the hands of any individual,
but inclined to the opposite principle
of division among a number of equals.
He believed in the equality of women, and
Iroquois women have rights
European women never had.

“The Iroquois Peace League was a social institution
which may well stand today as the most brilliant achievement in the
record of man.”
-John Collier

Taken from poster “Iroquois Creed” purchased at Okwari, Kahnawake.
Author/Artists not indicated.