In this Episode I sit down with Santee Smith (Six Nations Kahnyen'kehaka, Turtle Clan) Creative Producer/Director/Performer: "The Mush Hole" Truth, Acknowledgement, Resilience.
Santee is a multidisciplinary artist from the Kahnyen’kehàka Nation, Turtle Clan, Six Nations of the Grand River, Haldimand Treaty Territory. As a creative she is dedicated to cultivating space for embodied storytelling, collaboration, exchange through performance and cultural talks, work with land and earth/clay. In 2005 she founded Kaha:wi Dance Theatre and also works as a independent artist on projects such as The Mush Hole, and Talking Earth installation at the Gardiner Museum. Her practice is process and for her the process is full bodied, ceremonial in intent and crafted through research with knowledge keepers and sites/land. Smith trained at Canada’s National Ballet School, completed Physical Education and Psychology degrees from McMaster University and a M.A. in Dance from York University.

Discussing the Great Law and what we might be able to find in Material Culture that can explain our way of life prior to European Contact.

Bringing Back Jamie Jacobs for a unique perspective on the Great Law and Material Culture of Haudenosaunee People.

We need to find ways to bring our communities back together. Our culture is strong and rich with information, we need to find our path back to a Good Mind.

Nearly 400 years after the alleged “sale of Manhattan,” a group of Lenape people are working to reawaken their cultural in the original territory where their ancestors thrived.

George Stonefish (Lenape, Turtle Clan) and his cousin Brent Stonefish (Lenape, Turtle Clan) have begun a group of other Lenape's to re-establish a Lenape presence in and around New York City, in particular around Prospect Park in Brooklyn at the Lefferts House.

The Dutch arrived in the 17th century in what is now known as New York City, early encounters with the indigenous peoples, known as the Lenape, were, at first, mostly friendly and transactional. They shared the land and traded guns, beads and wool for beaver furs. As the myth goes, the Dutch even “purchased” Manahatta island from the Lenape in 1626. The transaction, enforced by the eventual building of wall around New Amsterdam, marked the very beginning of the Lenape’s forced mass migration out of their homeland.

Today, Lenape communities are found in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ontario, and New Jersey.

Gary Farmer (Cayuga Nation, Wolf Clan of the Grand River in Six Nations) “How do we continue to pave the way for Indigenous voices?”

In Partnership with Roswell Park’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Indigenous Cancer Health

An actor and musician.[1] He is perhaps best known for his role as Nobody in the films Dead Man (1995) and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), and for his role in Smoke Signals (1998). In his career spanning over three decades, Farmer He was nominated for Independent Spirit Awards for his roles in the movies Powwow Highway, Dead Man, and Smoke Signals.

He appeared as the recurring character Uncle Brownie in the highly-acclaimed FX series Reservation Dogs from 2021-2023.

With over 100 Film and TV appearances attached to his

resume, and plenty more in the pipeline, Gary has shown he can adapt easily to any genre when necessary. 

He was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, and studied photography and Film at both the Syracuse University and Ryerson Polytechnic University. 

He is widely recognized as a pioneer in the development of First Nations media in Canada and is the founding director of an urban Indian radio network, Aboriginal Voices Radio Network.

World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference 2024

July 22 – 25, 2024

Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, Niagara Falls, NY

As our Native Nations continue to struggle with the preventing and recovering from the impacts of suicide amongst our people, the Seneca Nation hopes that the conference will be an opportunity for our sister nations to gather from across the world to share cultural-based approaches focused on combatting suicide.

The Original Peoples Podcast welcomes Clayton Logan (Cattaraugus Seneca, Wolf Clan) Nicky Thompson (Cattaraugus Seneca, Turtle Clan) Corbett Seneca (Cattaraugus Seneca, Wolf Clan) speak about their experiences around the issue of suicide. Clayton and Nicky are past attendees of the World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference, this Conference is being hosted by the Seneca Nation and marks the first time that this conference is being held in North America.

For more information about the conference please visit. 

thewispc.com

If you or someone you know are struggling or are in crisis here is a list of resources.

Emergency: 911

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Call 988

Allegany Co Sheriffs 585 268 9208

Cattaraugus Co Sheriffs 716 938 9191

Chautauqua Co Sheriffs 716 753 4232

Connecting Communities through Action

24 Hotline 716 532 8185

Crisis Text Line Text HOME to 741741

Erie Co Sheriffs 716 858 7618

Marshals Allegany: 716 945 2779

Cattaraugus: 716 532 3040

Police Gowanda: 716 532 2020

Salamanca: 716 945 2330

Seneca Nation Behavioral Health Unit

(BHU)

Allegany: 716 945 5894

Cattaraugus: 716 532 5583

Seneca Nation Crime Victim Services

24 On Call 716 532 8339

Seneca Strong Allegany: 716 945 8413

Cattaraugus: 716 532 8456

The Trevor Project (LGBTQ+) Call: 866 488 7386

Text: 678678

Veterans Crisis Line Call: 988 then press 1

Text: 838255

In this Episode we are joined by Cole Reuben (Tonawanda Seneca, Snipe Clan) Cole is a Curatorial Assistant with the Rock Foundation at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, he also serves as a Cultural Interpreter at Ganondagan State Historic Site.

Cole is a singer, a carver, a culture bearer and a historian.

He takes us through some of the History and origin of the Sing that occurs in Haudenosaunee Communities in the Fall and Spring. He also shares some songs and a bit about the mechanics and sounds of Rattles and the Water Drum.

Kristina Maldonado Bad Hand is a Sicangu Lakota and Cherokee artist that hails from Taos, New Mexico. 

Her passion for community and social justice has led her to speak on matters of equality and cultural representation in pop culture. 

She is a graphic designer, illustrator, comic creator, and she is the co-founder and director of áyA Con, and handles most of our community outreach and programming. 

Rafael Maldonado Bad Hand is the artist, writer and creator of the independent comic, “Pilla”, the story of a young girl searching for her father in a post-apocalyptic world where humans are on the bottom of the food chain.

Kristina can be reached at:Web: www.badhandillustrations.artInstagram: @napesicahttps://www.ayacondenver.art/

Rafael can be reached at:Web: www.RMBH.artInstagram: @rmbh_artBluesky: @RMBH-Art

Gaiwiio Day 2

The Gaiwiio “The Good Word” a prophecy bestowed to the Seneca Chief Handsome Lake in the early 19th century. Handsome Lake was born into the warrior class and played a major role in reviving traditional spiritual practices among the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse) also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. He preached a message that combined traditional Haudenosaunee religious beliefs with a revised code meant to revive traditional consciousness to the Haudenosaunee after a long period of cultural disintegration following colonization. 

Handsome Lake was known to be an alcoholic and fell gravely sick in the year 1799, during his sickness he was visited by three messengers who shared with him messages that he was the share and impart among his people. The message he shared denounced the use of alcohol and encouraged people to return to their traditional practices in order to maintain any last remaining pieces of their culture. Handsome Lake preached his message for 15 years before he passed away while traveling to share his message with the Onondaga Nation. Ten years after his death, Handsome Lakes nephew Jemmy Johnson revived the message through the encouragement of the Clan Mothers at Tonawanda and he began to travel around the different Haudenosaunee communities sharing Handsome Lakes Code.

Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca, Turtle Clan) shares his insights and understanding of the Gaiwiio, Jamie has served as a speaker in his community in Tonawanda and he had previously toured with the delegation responsible for the annual recitation of the Gaiwiio. I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time with Jamie and ask him questions about the Gaiwiio and how he interprets the message and his understanding of the message of Handsome Lake. In this episode we cover the most salient points of Day 2 of the Gaiwiio.

Gaiwiio Day 1

The Gaiwiio “The Good Word” a prophecy bestowed to the Seneca Chief Handsome Lake in the early 19th century. Handsome Lake was born into the warrior class and played a major role in reviving traditional spiritual practices among the Haudenosaunee (People of the Longhouse) also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. He preached a message that combined traditional Haudenosaunee religious beliefs with a revised code meant to revive traditional consciousness to the Haudenosaunee after a long period of cultural disintegration following colonization. 

Handsome Lake was known to be an alcoholic and fell gravely sick in the year 1799, during his sickness he was visited by three messengers who shared with him messages that he was the share and impart among his people. The message he shared denounced the use of alcohol and encouraged people to return to their traditional practices in order to maintain any last remaining pieces of their culture. Handsome Lake preached his message for 15 years before he passed away while traveling to share his message with the Onondaga Nation. Ten years after his death, Handsome Lakes nephew Jemmy Johnson revived the message through the encouragement of the Clan Mothers at Tonawanda and he began to travel around the different Haudenosaunee communities sharing Handsome Lakes Code.

Jamie Jacobs (Tonawanda Seneca, Turtle Clan) shares his insights and understanding of the Gaiwiio, Jamie has served as a speaker in his community in Tonawanda and he had previously toured with the delegation responsible for the annual recitation of the Gaiwiio. I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time with Jamie and ask him questions about the Gaiwiio and how he interprets the message and his understanding of the message of Handsome Lake. In this episode we cover the most salient points of Day 1 of the Gaiwiio.

I sit down with Damian Webster Shodzi'dzo:wa' (Tonawanda Seneca, Turtle Clan) he is the Director of Honötaö:nih Hënödeyësdahgwa'geh. We discuss Second Language Acquisition strategies that have helped shape the evolving curriculum at Tonawanda to be more efficient in growing and developing teachers and learners.

Damian also discusses the recent Seneca Language Symposium "Sade:yë:s Sešnye't Ësawënösde:k" hosted at Ganondagan.

Special Nya:wëh and acknowledgment to:

Tonawanda Seneca Council of Chiefs

Seneca Nation of Indians Language Department

Rochester Institute of Technology Department of Modern Language & Culture

Ganondagan State Historic Site and the Friends of Ganondagan