Akwesasne and The Journal of Early American History

 


Submitted by Sue Ellen Herne

On Sunday, February 23rd, the Akwesasne Cultural Center hosted a chat with artist Renée Ridgway via Skype. Renée went on the paddle this past summer, celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the Two Row Wampum treaty. She is of Dutch descent herself and though she was born and brought up in the Philadelphia PA area, she now lives in Europe. She has traveled to various continents and has thought critically about her people’s history – realizing that colonialism and capitalism have hurt the land and indigenous people all over the world. She was interested in hearing what people from Akwesasne had to say about the Journal of Early American History, Volume 3; that addresses various issues surrounding the Two Row. A small group gathered in the library to discuss the essays.

The essays in the journal are: Historians and the Public Debate about the Past, by Paul Otto and Jaap Jacobs; The Tawagonshi Tale: Can Linguistic Analysis Prove the Tawagonshi Treaty to be a Forgery?, by Harrie Hermkens , Jan Noordegraaf and Nicoline van der Sijs; The States General and the Stadholder: Dutch Diplomatic Practices in the Atlantic World before the West India Company, by Mark Meuwese; Early Dutch Explorations in North America, by Jaap Jacobs; The Meaning of Kaswentha and the Two Row Wampum Belt in Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) History: Can Indigenous Oral Tradition be Reconciled with the Documentary Record?, by Jon Parmenter; and Wampum, Tawagonshi, and the Two Row Belt, by Paul Otto. The essays were each very different, and in Renée’s words, the journal is important because it helps to affirm the importance of oral traditions – best supported by Jon Parmenter’s essay.

As for the essay proclaiming that the paper copy of the Tawagonshi Treaty is a fake, everyone present at the library agreed that you can only find so many pieces of the puzzle when it comes to the written record, but it doesn’t matter; because we already have the story, and it is affirmed in a lasting manner by wampum.

Renée’s work as an educator and artist brings a critical eye to the history of the Dutch traders’ travels around the world. She plans to be in Akwesasne at the end of next month. If anyone is interested in suggesting a reading for discussion when she is in town, please call the Akwesasne Museum 358-2461 or e-mail info@akwesasneculturalcenter.org

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024