Opinion / Reader Submission
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Why Do We Need Chiefs?
By Doug George-Kanentiio It is well established, and universally acknowledged, that the Rotinonshonni (Haudenosaunee Six Nations Iroquois) created a unique system of governance based upon natural law...
NAME CALLING
Submitted by Paul Hetzler If you’re looking for signs of wildlife this winter, forget about paw prints. One of our native mammals faithfully plows its “roads” after each snowfall, and you can...
WOODEN YOU KNOW
Submitted by Paul Hetzler As a card-carrying, registered tree hugger, I have long touted the benefits of trees such as carbon storage, energy savings and improved mental health. And beyond the...
Mohawk-Iroquois Leaders in History
©by Doug George-Kanentiio Over the course of our history, we have had many leaders during peace and war. Most of us know of Captain Joseph Brant, Cornplanter, Hendricks, Red Jacket, Handsome Lake,...
REINING-IN THE ARCTIC HEAT
Submitted by Paul Hetzler Reindeer have been soaring since long before Christmas came into being. For some reason, the fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), a lovely red-and-white polka-dotted...
PINING FOR THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Submitted by Paul Hetzler The morning of December 25 this year will be a lot less cheery unless the World Health Organization gives Santa a free pass on COVID-19 restrictions so he can hand out...
TREES, KNEES, AND OTHER DEEP-FREEZE CREAKS
Submitted by Paul Hetzler When temperatures dip well below zero Fahrenheit, especially if they fall precipitously, things go bump in the night. Frozen lakes and ponds emit ominous groans, snaps and...
MISCREANTS OR MESSENGERS?
Submitted by Paul Hetzler If you get bad news about one of your trees, kindly don’t shoot the messenger. Even if – especially if – they vandalize that very tree. It could save your life to heed...
Humble Notions
Areas of concern, Attention & awareness of the matters at hand brought to our knowing constantly. Thru various medias of consumption and addiction. Thot altering... ear worms of our hearing, sight &...
Grace & Gratitude
Rusty willows whisp thru early breezes As they greet the golden glow of the morning sun Blanketed by peachy-pink and pale-yellow skies Beneath illuminated rainbows Thy heart radiates gratitude Warmth...
THE GIVING TREE
Submitted by Paul Hetzler For thousands of years, the American elm (Ulmus americana) was the go-to tree for building supplies and home furnishings, kind of a Home Depot of the forest. For the Haudenos...
Possible Mohawk Children Who Died in Residential Schools
By Doug George-Kanentiio On September, 30, 2019 the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation released a list of the names of the 2,800 children who died while in the custody of the various...
CARRY WOOD, BOIL WATER
Submitted by Paul Hetzler I’m told there is a Zen Buddhist saying that goes “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” The idea, I think, is to...
ASLEEP AT THE HELM
Submitted by Paul Hetzler All animals need sleep of some kind. Reptiles, birds, bees – even nematodes, reportedly – require periodic bouts of unconsciousness, though I imagine it’s hard to tell...
The Power of Names: Truth and Common-Sense Demand Changes
By Doug George-Kanentiio As we all know there is great power in what we name, in what we elect to use to identify who we are. We are taught by traditional custom that the natural world is attuned to...
Peter Garrow sent in the newest sculpture by Ben Benedict
Newest Addition to the talented Ben Benedict's sculpture collection....
WORKING THE BUGS OUT OF FIREWOOD
Submitted by Paul Hetzler With cold weather approaching, those of us who heat with wood look forward to the cozy warmth that only a wood fire can provide. Especially if it’s a fireplace, or a stove...
RED TO THE RESCUE
Submitted by Paul Hetzler, ISA Certified Arborist Each fall there is roughly the same amount of yellow foliage, since in most woody plants Mother Nature sees fit to cache yellow pigments beneath the...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Iroquois: A Tragic Legacy
By Doug George-Kanentiio Perhaps it is not that the late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hostile to Indigenous people but that in her legal career they had no presence, no bearing....
I saw a young woman get framed and arrested yesterday at 6pm on 10-1-2020 Kibbie Road, Bombay
October 2, 2020 I saw a young woman get framed and arrested yesterday at 6pm on 10-1-2020 Kibbie Road, Bombay. At about 6pm Thursday 10-1-2020, I was splitting and stacking firewood at my farm in...
GARDENING'S A GAS
Submitted by Paul Hetzler Adequate nitrogen, plenty of organic matter, a dependable rototiller and other attributes coveted by gardeners are the same things that oil-spill remediation engineers need a...
Retaking Tsio-ton-hia-te-kowa
By Doug George-Kanentiio Vast areas of Mohawk lands were stolen from the nation over the past seven generations by the colonists. I listened to the words of our elders-now passed into the spirit...
FALL COLOR CONSPIRACY
Submitted by Paul Hetzler, Certified Arborist Conspiracy hypotheses (or theories, as we like to call them, since “hypotheses” cannot be uttered without a lisp) seem to multiply unfettered these...
