Haudenosaunee Gather for a New Approach to Indigenous Education

David Jock (left) Danny Beaton (right) support Tyendinaga FNTI and Suzanne Brant (middle) for holistic approach to Indigenous Education and Haudenosaunee University

Story and photos by Danny Beaton (Mohawk)

In memory of Alicja Rozanska

www.dannybeaton.ca

This month of March was a good time for the birthplace of The Peacemaker, Tyendinaga, because elders, educators, healers and spiritual leaders gathered to show their support for the communities’ vision and dream to expand the First Nations Technical Institute. Tom Porter arrived at the FNTI to be filmed for future generations and students just before Dan Longboat arrived to participate with the message that western concept facilities could be surpassed with a traditional indigenous Haudenosaunee school of the universal embracement of unity for all indigenous nations and students to learn from Mohawk traditional educators. Mama Bear clan mother Louise McDonald from Akwesasne arrived not long after spiritual leader Tom Porter returned to his home and Iakoiane added a message of urgency that the Haudenosaunee could build up this Sacred Fire on Tyendinaga Territory because Canada was in crisis as were all of societies on Sacred Mother Earth.        

David Jock Bear Clan Mohawk Speaks Out

FNTI Suzanne Brant and all staff and all founders of FNTI Institute of higher learning and understanding are living at this time the great ancient vision of our peoples, which was to come all together in one sacred circle. Everybody represents their colours of the families of the Earth, our Mother, everyone has come together in respect and love for one another, the caring and sharing of one another and all our spiritual gifts. This school has brought us all here to the fire of the sacred teachings. In translation, it means he will always return to us. Remember we will always return to the sacred fire of peace, righteousness and empowerment for all spirits and souls of this Mother Earth. This place is the well. This is the Spiritual Fire. Here in this place we are strong with the sacred sinew of the sacred four-legged, the sacred deer.

It is here that we are all drawn to. We must come here to find it. It is a healing and it is an awakening of the great understanding of the Great Spirit Creator. We are now at a place that is complete. We have found each other and continue to come and learn from each other, continue to be at peace within ourselves. This school will be a place of mind, body and spirit. Let us get strength to live long, well and carry respect in our hearts for each other as well as human kind and all creation. In this school we will learn to create higher beauty and unconditional love for creation and all life. Let us learn to love all things in this beauty as it grows from the earth to the sky world.

Dan Longboat (left) said Suzanne Brant is creating a legacy for all students in Canada wanting to upgrade their understanding of indigenous culture here in Tyendinaga

My grandfather’s words to me were that the Sacred Woman is of this earth and all female life and water and birth. The spiritual village in the sky world is there having ceremony as I speak to you. So you see our school is an ancient vision. We are gathered here and we will continue with all things great and small. We will continue to learn from the living world of our Great Creator and our Mothers of Life and everything moving in the sky world. May we all rise to the highest part of the tree and embrace the heart and it will embrace us back. These are the teachings of importance to all Human Kind.                 

We are learning once again how to speak as spiritual circle people on this Earth, our Mother.

We come from a female blood, a blood river that connects all rivers of life. We are here in Tyendinaga area of the great birth of The Peacemaker, our greatest spirit orator. It all began here with earth, wind, water and fire. Here the fire was met with sky fire, the burning sky fire and when we looked at that, the sky opened. That beautiful spirit came here and gave fruits to the tree of life once again, so that we might visit the spiritual circle of our ancestors. A chance to come home to all the healing powers of Mother Earth, to come home to the Sacred Life of our Ancient Mother, a Celestial Circle. She came here from the priceless sky and her spirit washed all the grounds of earth, and all the clay. From her womb came the birthing of all human life, from birth came all human spirit, through her all the birthing of human life, truth and purity from Mother Earth. We are here in Tyendinaga for the spiritual raise from the Eagle Mound, the birthing place. We are here in that Peacemaker’s spirit with his promise that he would always return here and return to our hearts and minds and body.

We are to keep our life full and our walk spirit clean from the earth to the sky. When we have finished our journey here, we will travel first to the west and then to the star direction of the North Star and that sacred Milky Way with Celestial Mother. We shall receive all the love and support that is needed to live forever, spirit great with the one who has created our beautiful bodies that we are all visiting in at this time to the sacredness of the water shell and that powerful powerful being; we are the continuation of all things great and small. We are the tree, we are the earth, we are the waters, the rivers all connected to one great birthing water. We are also together in the Sacred Family of our Great Creator, sons and daughters of Mother Earth, Rainbow children of this Earth with sacred covenant of Wampum. We have been given so many teachings of that Sacred Fire from our ancestors and their ancestors.

We are learning once again to speak as a spiritual circle people with our Mother Earth and my people are from the land of the partridge, Akwesasne. I have come to the land of the Peacemaker Tyendinaga Territory, birthplace of the Great Peacemaker and here is where I am so honored to return to after many years. I have come here to be with my sister Suzanne Brant and Umar Keoni Umangay, her strong vision and add some of my work to the vision of peace and unity to FNTI. Students are coming to learn but they are also coming to heal; that is part of the work we do here. We will bring the learning full circle and healing to all four directions of our medicine circle of life. Our beautiful way of life will be shared as one family, we will fulfill the vision of our Creator. We can learn so much from plant life, insects and waters, even the stone can teach us something; we are Mohawks. We are White Stone Nation and we are here gathering at the Sacred Fire on Mother Earth once again for future generations to come and who want peace.

Mother Earth is supporting us all, loving us all. She wraps us in her love and here we are still remaining on this earth as spiritual beings having a healing experience and we all will become better Human Beings at FNTI. We will sustain this village so that our children will play in that loving circle of Grandmother, Grandfather, auntie, uncle, Mother and Father, brother and sister of Creation, sons and daughters of Mother Earth. Our Great Creator wishes us to return home when our work here is done and our ceremonies are complete so that we find that beautiful road, the road to our Great Creator. We are here to help each other learn from each other in a good way, a spiritual way. We will become stronger for our communities everywhere, loving each other in a sacred harmony to make the world a better place for all mankind and we will become a part of the Sacred Fire. Everyone in that sacred fire has healing gifts to help creation and we will share our gifts once we leave FNTI.

Living the sacred vision of our ancestors that have called us all together for this great work is such a great honor for myself and our teachers and elders, who have come here to support this new Haudenosaunee University or Universe to seek our spirituality of our people’s loving spiritual beings. To connect our blood linage, all rivers connected, so that we can walk in balance, we might walk in beauty and carry that deep truth of heart, which is unconditional love, forgiveness for all things great and small. That we can leave here when we are complete as one great peaceful spirit that I was born into. Born in the womb of a mother, born of love pure, born of blanket and cradling and love from all female life. So we will leave this world of respect for all things great and small.  Our love for Mother Earth and Grandmother Moon, the Celestial Stars will keep us close to our ancestors. Thank you all for listening.