Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

By: Jaclyn Hall

With well over the anticipated number of beaded flowers, the creation of the Ionkwatsi'tsiaienthon (We Planted a Flower Garden) has come to a close. Numerous beaders from Akwesasne were given the opportunity to add a beaded flower to the SRMT's Akwesasne Tourism Group's Ionkwatsi'tsiaienthon Project. This project began at the 2018 Annual Powwow in Akwesasne, with an ongoing open call lasting close to a year and wrapping up the project on Friday May 31st. Local beaders were invited to add an already existing Beaded Flower, or coming out to one of their beading workshops to create one specifically for the Ionkwatsi'tsiaienthon.

"We had anticipated having around 70 beaded flowers; we've passed that. Next we want beaders to add vines and birds to fill in the gaps," stated Latoya Rourke, SRMT Cultural Tourism Incubator, during the Akwesasne Art Market.

Tia Thompson adding her beaded flower to the garden.

Since then the Ionkwatsi'tsiaienthon has had more added to it. There will be a grand reveal in the near future, similar to that of the Oterahkowa (Akwesasne's Big Basket).

The Oterahkowa was the first project organized by the Akwesasne Tourism Group. This project opened during the Annual Powwow held in Akwesasne, during September 2017. Once the Oterahkowa came to a close, numerous Akwesasne basketmakers had had a hand in completing the beautiful basket. The Ionkwatsi'tsiaienthon was done in a similar way with the addition of beading workshops being held towards the end of the creation process. This gave new beaders an opportunity to add a flower to the beaded garden.

Now, many are anxiously waiting and anticipating the big reveal of one of Akwesasne's first Beaded Flower Gardens created by many talented and creative artists in Akwesasne.