Monuments To Six Nation Indians

One early dawn of the Moon of New Grass a group of young Awkesasne warriors started on a tour through the eastern country, their destination, every known marker or important monument erected to Six Nation Indians. The young Mohawks did not travel on foot as did their ancient forefathers. They traveled by car upon hard paved highways, that traced the well worn paths of the old Iroquois.

From the St. Regis Reservation they headed over the Adirondack Mountains, past the Akwesasne Club Cabin near Onchiota and on to the shore of the beautiful Lake Champlain. Traveling south along this lake they soon reached Ticonderoga, birthplace of the famous Indian Pageants.

• The Forest Theater, Ticonderoga, New York
• Monument To Aroniateka 'Fiendich' Lake George Village, New York
• The Spring Of The Great Spirit, Saratoga, New York
• Sir William Johnson, Johnstown, New York
• Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk Women, Auriesville, New York
• Oneida Tribal Stone, Utica, New York
• Skenandoah's Grave, Hamilton College Clinton, New York
• Monument to Kaniatario at Onondago Reservation
• Monument to Onondaga Indians, Syracuse, New York
• Logan Monument, Auburn, New York
• Red Jacket Monument, Canoga, New York
• Red Jacket Monument, Branch Port, New York
• Monument To Mother Of Red Jacket. Keuka Lake, New York
• Monument To Guyanoga, Guyanoga Valley. New York
• Monument To Canesque, A Seneca Chief, Naples, New York
• Treaty Rock, Canandaigua, New York
• The Great Central Trail Of The Long House, Route 5, New York
• Monument To Deh-He-Wa-Mis (Mary Jemison) At Letchworth Park, New York
• Seneca Council House, Letchworth Park, New York
• Ely S. Parker (Do-Ne-Ho-Ga-Weh) Homestead, Tonawanda Reservation
• Red Jacket Monument, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York
• Thayendanegea, Captain Joseph Brant
• Mohawk Church, Brantford, Ontario, Canada
• Emily Pauline Johnson, Mohawk Poetess, Six Nation Country
• Grave Of Tenh-Wen-Nyos. Gov. Blacksnake, Allegany Reserve
• Kaiiontwa-Ken, Cornplanter
• Logan Elm And Monument, Circleville, Ohio
• Conrad Weiser, Terachiawagon, Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania
• The Grave Of Shikellamy, Sunbury, Pennsylvania
• The Coming Of The Mohawks, Thendinaga Reservation, Ontario, Canada
• Mohawk Monument, Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

Our Prayer to Hawenio, the Great Spirit

By Ka-ron-to-wah-nen

Oh Hear us Great One!
We, the children of the forests, the plains, the mountains,
Ask that you look down and pity us.
Give us back the things that once were ours.
Give us back our pride in the greatness of our race.
Let us be as a people once again,
Strong yet gentle, proud yet humble, happy yet grateful.
Make us mindful that all things came from you.
Listen to the cry of your children who have forgotten the teachings of their elders.
Give them sight that they may once again see that which is good for them.
Teach them the wisdom of the earth, the trees and the rivers.
Let them learn to live again as their fathers before them did.
Hearken Hawenio!
Listen to the cry of the old people.
They cry because those things that you gave them have been taken from them.
They are as slaves driven by hard masters.
Who obey the crack of the lash as an animal, too frightened to resist!
Oh Hawenio, give them back their courage and their pride,
Make them men instead of frightened. children.
Let them once again hearken to the council of their wise men.
Let us hear once more the Victory Songs,
And the sound of our Council Drums.
Give them back that courage that made our people in the past fight against superior odds and go down singing their Death Songs!
May we once again remember to sing our old songs in remembrance of you.
Let us gather around our council fires and
Hear again the tales of our great ones, those who lived before us,
That our young men and women will have something to follow,
A straight trail that will lead them out of the low places and will take them to the
high places, the tops of the mountains,
Where once again our Elder Brother, the sun, will shine upon them.
Let those who would harm our children, those who would take away their pride, those who would make them forget their people, punished!
Hear our prayer! We, your Red Children have not fogotten you.
Have you forgotten us?
Help us Hawenio!

Notes About Book:

Source: Monuments To Six Nation Indians, by By Aren Akweks. Privately published.

Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and then ocr'd. Minimal editing was done and the reader should expect some typographical errors.