Mohawk Elder Praxis, Land, Language, and Knowledge Woven in Place
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Geographies of Home, Memory, and Heart: Mohawk Elder Praxis, Land, Language, and Knowledge Woven in Place Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Holmes, Amanda L. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 29/09/2021 18:23:34 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/628178 GEOGRAPHIES OF HOME, MEMORY, AND HEART: MOHAWK ELDER PRAXIS, LAND, LANGUAGE, AND KNOWLEDGE WOVEN IN PLACE by Amanda L. Holmes __________________________ Copyright © Amanda L. Holmes 2018 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF TEACHING LEARNING AND SOCIOCULTURAL STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN LANGUAGE, READING & CULTURE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2018 1 '"$ !%' '&' # ' ' ?ďŎÒ~ÓaùĐŎ¤ŎŎ ¸đĒúğJĠÛŎ@ÔÕ¹ġĢŎŇ Ŏfûģº¬ŎĤKĥŎň ŎLŅ ŎüMmŎ°Ŏn»ēĔ&¼NĦ½ÜŎ ðýñOþoŎbʼnŎGJ$wTCH'fwħ¾ÍpŎ U:tBwD%(\w]u=gw)K*FZ6>+hw[ ^3i,L!-w.v _`j?M7w VI/wk;aWq8<w0lrdSwmXw N&w O9s 1ww Pn2e3Q4bo@YREwc"pA#5wPÝqŎ gÖ×ÞrŎ±QĨŎ¿ĩŎcŎRhòĪsŎSĕŎ«Î©ÏßŎīŎtÀĖėŁTĬÁêàŎÿ÷łÂĀØáŎªāŎĭ²ŎA®ĂŎë¥ŎBiĮăŎ ¦ŎIÌÐìĘó³ŊŎ ' HŎ C`;Ŏ (1"7 .5Ŏ Uį <Ŏ )2#8/ Ŏ D İ=Ŏ *3$906Ŏ EVı>Ŏ +4!%:, Ŏ FŎ ĄdŋŎjąIJçŌŎij´WĴŎGŎµ ņŎĆXuŎĵ¶ÄęŎvĚěćĶYķÅíâŎôĈõ_wŎŃãxĉŎōŎyÆĊkĸÇîäŎZåzŎċlÙÚæ{Ŏ Ĺ[ĺŎĻŎeŎ\öļ|Ŏ]ĜŎ¨Ŏ -ÑÈç¯ŎĽ·Ŏ}ÉĝĞ Čľ^ĿÊïèŎč¡øńËĎ¢£éŀŎ ' STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgement of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Amanda L. Holmes 3 Acknowledgements How do you ever begin to thank people for the gift of your life? The gift of their life in yours. All the ways they have made you who you are today and who you will become, because of their presence, because of their walking with you a little ways or a long ways down the path of your life. It is overwhelming and humbling to sit and reflect on all these pathways converging and going off again – the tracks of lives lived, lives walked on, lives coming. For all the ways you have been present – the big and small ways, it doesn’t matter – presence is about being, and each of you has been present in my life in ways that are yet a mystery, revealed to me as I walk this path of life, better, deeper, becoming more human because of your being part of me, whatever part of you that you have left with me, the multitude of gifts that I carry into my days. Ripples of the stone tossed in water. So, whether you know it or not, your presence has changed the shape of my life. Some of you have already walked on to Spirit. But whether you are here on our Mother Earth or have left this Earth now, I am so much the better because of your having given me the gift of part of you. I move in closer connection to the beauty of our Creator because of you. So, how to say thank you for the profound gift of life that is someone’s presence? Well, somehow, you just begin. So here I go. This is to each of you, all of you. Now here you are. Tom and Alice Porter Tom and Alice’s children – Tsiahawi, Tsiakwas, Aronienens, Kanastatsi, Tewasontahawitha, all the grandchildren, and great-grandchildren now! Ida Mae Joe Eba Beauvais & Tammy Beauvais Zezi Hazel Dean Jake and Judy Swamp, Kahontineh Swamp Rosalie Little Thunder Rosalie’s children – Deb, Barb, Amy, John, and Becky, all the grandchildren and great- grandchildren Ally Krebs, & your sons, Zach and Adam Frank Ettawageshik Carl Widdiss Donny & Sarah Brant Gordon Brant Wari Sose Gabriel Mina Beauvais Ray John Freda John Ray John, Jr. Tom Holm Oren Lyons Jan Longboat Kay Olan 4 Nikki Auten Bonnie Jane Maracle Callie, Jan, and Karen Hill Anataras Alison Ehara-Brown and Paul Ehara Dan Longboat Kevin White Johnny Jackson Arvol Looking Horse Paula Horne Dave Chief Harry Charger Harry Bird Sidney Keith Alex White Plume Leland Little Dog Madonna Thunder Hawk Carla Rae Marshall Bob Bassett Billy Frank Darrell Kipp Katherine Blossom Carrie and Mary Dann Charlie Soap and Wilma Mankiller Jack Jones Sharon and Judy Drapeau Theresa Hart Frank Sanchez Anita Sanchez Little Galen and Paulita Drapeau Faith Spotted Eagle Phebe and Woody Washburn Bob Phares Thor Patterson-Ritz Susan Penfield Melo (Carmen Tirado-Paredes) Angie Hoffman MC Raj & Jyothi Raj Rosemary Dzuvichu Nawal El Saadawi Rob Williams, Jr. Tracy Williams Carol Kalafadic Catherine Grey Day Christine Sims Wangari Maathai 5 Sharleen Yellow Wolf Sarah James Juanita Pahdopony Henrietta Mann Rudy Ryser Frederique Apfel-Marglin Joy Graves Lu White Kerry Thompson Janelle Johnson Elle Llerbrowen My Kanien’keha teachers over the years – I hope I remember all of you, from the earliest onward: Mina Beauvais, Joyce Sharrow and Grace Mitchell, Mona D’Ailleboust, Bonnie Jane Maracle, Eba Beauvais, Zezi, Wari Sose Gabriel, Tsiorakwahthe, Joe Brown, Stephen Green, David Maracle, Nikki Auten, and of course Tom Porter…for all you have done for Kanien’keha and the future generations, in dedicating yourself to the restoration and renewal of Kanien’keha. (And lest I forget, to my two Choctaw language teachers, Alice and Ida Mae, who persistently and without fail keep trying to get me speaking Choctaw…I have a sneaking suspicion this is mostly for the laugh they have at my expense) My mischievous cohort of fellow Kanien’keha learners in 2005-2006 at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Our Indigenous Thinkers group at the UA: Maxine Baptiste, Jamie Billiot, Gilbert Brown, Jodi Burshia, Duffy Galda, Candace Galla, Angie and Vangie Hoffman, Keisha Josephs, Depree Shadowwalker, Roberta Tayah, Melo Carmen Tirado-Paredes, Tracy Williams…a group of extraordinary people….our mutual support network has been a big part of getting me to this point To my UA Committee: To my Chair, Professor Norma González. You are not only an academic Elder, you are an Elder in the fullest sense of the word. I arrived at the UA into your class, running in the door 15 minutes late (always) from my drive from New York, and I complete the circle with you closing the door of your office at LRC for the last time. I could not have asked for a more profound thinker, mentor and intellectual activist, and the best of role models. I would never have gotten through these years had it not been for your steadfast support, guidance, encouragement, and compassion. Your unfaltering presence. You are my rock here – you have grounded me and reminded me – and made sure I kept going. Thank you for putting up with me. Anything I accomplish in the future is an expression of your guiding presence. I cannot say a big enough thank you. To my Committee members, Professors Mary Carol Combs, Sara Tolbert, and Bryan Brayboy. I thank each of you for your individual gifts that you have offered again and again to me. For your knowledge, your insight, your energy, and your total commitment to justice for our People, and for all those whose voices are being silenced. I am so grateful that you said yes to working with me and seeing me through. But most of all, I am moved by being able to call you friends. 6 And a special thank you: To Professor Luis Moll and Professor Richard Ruiz. Even though Dr. Ruiz has walked on to Spirit, I still see you both present as these intellectual (and dryly hysterical) twins. You are pillars of all that is good in academia. Your profound commitment, generosity, and the great humor that comes with humility and wisdom have moved me and re-ignited my own passion for scholarship and engagement when it has waned. We miss you, Dr. Ruiz. And the biggest of thank you’s to Marie Ruiz – thank you for sharing your husband with all of us LRC-ers for so long. Your generosity has meant, as Dr. Moll said at his dear friend’s memorial, that so many activist scholars are out there, on the ground, nurturing future generations of Dr. Ruiz-es into fruition. We work with him in our hearts. Dedication To all of you who saw something I could not see in myself. And for those of you who have journeyed on to the Spirit World – till we meet again to pick up where we left off. ‘Let’s see now…where were we?!’ To ALL those involved in the restoration, renewal, and resurgence of Rotinonhsionni languages (and Indigenous languages everywhere!) – for your courage, brilliance, commitment, and love. Your big, big heart. You are a bright star. Niawen’ko:wa for all that you do, day in and day out, on behalf of our Original Languages. You have heard them call us home to who we are, and you are honoring that call. We all remember you and honor you and can’t thank you enough for everything you do, the blood, sweat, and tears, for Onkwawen:na. I know that our Ancestors, and our coming generations, are thankful for all your passion and dedication.