STORIES / Okara’shòn:’a
Maple candies
If you’re gonna travel the world, maple candies are the best ambassador of Canada. I was doing the circumpolar meeting of Native languages in Tromsø, Norway.
Left handed twin
In our Creation story, the left-handed twin is the Creator’s brother. I don’t hate him. He’s still my grandfather. But Christianity says, “No, you’ve got to hate the Devil, be at war with the Devil.” All this made up stuff to confuse the hell out of humans.
Day and night
In order to comprehend the Longhouse creation story, you have to see the birth of the twins as sacred energies.
How to run a powwow
We had a big problem here in Kahnawake and Kanesatake way back in 1990. After everything was over and the dust settled, we tried to reconcile with the neighbours and surrounding communities. We sent out an olive branch, figuratively.
Women and Mother Earth
The most important thing in our culture is the women, not the men. We are only tools of the nation.
Creation story
I don’t know if Spirit up there, somewhere, is watching over us. When things happen, you go back to your Creation Story, and Creation Story tells us that when we’re born, we come from Spirit World, and we come into this physical world to have an experience of what it’s like to be physical.