Iroquois Culture & Commentary [Paperback]

Doug George-Kanentiio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2000

This book offers fascinating perspectives on the life, traditions, and current affairs of the peoples of the Iroquois Confederacy. Author Doug George-Kanentiio is a Mohawk now living in Oneida Territory who is actively involved in issues affecting the Confederacy and has been writing about developments in Indian Country; for the past decade. Informative, provocative, and challenging, this book provides a refreshing insider's view of Indian peoples whose concerns continue to have major significance for the Northeast and whose future will affect Native Americans throughout the United States.

The author offers a portrait of the Iroquois that touches on a multitude of topics, beginning with Iroquois beliefs concerning their origins as a people and their spiritual, communal, and family traditions. He offers an Iroquois viewpoint on issues that are vital to the Six Nations' economic and cultural survival, including education, taxation, land-claims, treaty rights, crime, gambling, and relations with state and federal governments. Stories of Iroquois leaders and heroes include historical figures such as Handsome Lake, as well as elders whom the author has known personally.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These books provide current commentary and thought on Iroquois-United States relationships from the perspective of key leaders within the Iroquois Nations. These relationships are framed in terms of Iroquois cultural mores and traditions and the importance of personal honor and trustworthiness. George-Kanentiio, a journalist and member of the board of trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian, provides a detailed opinion and history of family values, spiritual and traditional knowledge, politics and sovereignty, natural law, and traditional spiritual and political leaders within the Iroquois Nations. He also initiates a critical dialog about and provides background for understanding previous treaties and Iroquois views of these documents. The Treaty of Canandaigua provides a tightly focused examination of one of the most important treaties between the United States and the Iroquois Confederacy. In accord with the Treaty of Canandaigua, signed in 1794, the various Iroquois Nations of the Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, Seneca, Tuscarora, and Cayuga were observed to have full legal title to their lands. This treaty was formalized by President George Washington and ratified by Congress. This book represents a forum for Iroquois scholars and leaders to speak candidly about a number of issues related to treaty politics, treaty relations, and sovereignty. The bulk of the text is in the form of addresses, speeches, and essaysAa number of which commemorate the treaty and what it has symbolized to the Iroquois. Ironically, even after more than 200 years of neglect and U.S. abuse of the treaty, the Iroquois see it as one of their best hopes for retaining sovereignty and establishing strong moral and legal claims to traditional tribal lands. The sentiment and views expressed by George-Kanentiio blend elegantly with these pieces, serving as an excellent reference point for understanding the latter. Both books fill a definite need for written expressions of traditional Native American views and impressions regarding over 200 years of political interaction with Europeans and Americans in North America. Both books also serve as an important and critical vantage point concerning sovereignty and self-determinism among indigenous populations.AJohn E. Dockall, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Doug George-Kanentiio was born and raised in the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory. An award-winning columnist, he has served as advisor, producer, and script-writer for national television documentaries on Iroquois subjects. He edited the international news journal Akwesasne Notes from 1986 to 1992 and since 1991 has been writing regular columns for the Syracuse Herald America and News from Indian Country. He served for 7 years as one of the land claims negotiators for the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs. A member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian, he is the chairperson of its Collections and Acquisitions Committee. Doug George-Kanentiio resides in Oneida Territory with his wife Joanne Shenandoah.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Clear Light Pub (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574160532
• ISBN-13: 978-1574160536
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dynamic survey of Iroquois history and traditions, January 24, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iroquois Culture & Commentary (Paperback)

Iroquois Culture & Commentary offers a dynamic survey of Iroquois history, culture and traditions beginning with the founding of the Great Law of Peace almost one thousand years ago down to the current movement to revitalize cultural traditions and recover lost homelands. Doug George-Kanentiio writes with a special authority as an Iroquois leader and member of the Mohawk nation as provides a complete refutation of stereotypes and misperceptions regarding the great Six Nation Iroquois Confederacy, whose settled territories comprises most of the landmass that became the various states of the American northeast. Iroquois Culture & Commentary is a superb and very welcome addition to Native American studies reading lists in general, and Iroquois cultural history collections in particular.

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Iroquois History for Dummies, August 6, 2000

By 

Akiatonharonkwen (Akwesasne Mohawk Territory) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iroquois Culture & Commentary (Paperback)

This book is actually a compilation of newspaper articles published by the author over the past few years. As such it makes for a disjointed book that repeats itself with the same generalized, superficial information about the history and culture of the Iroquois. Although you will find a few gems of information that may not be available elsewhere, such as information about people like Chief Bernie Parker, the rest of the book will be somewhat disappointing.

Although the jacket of the book claims that the author "challenges the stereotypes and common assumptions that limit our understanding of the great Six Nations," he does so by presenting an unrealistic, overly-idealistic and romantic description that is about as useless to the serious student of the Iroquois as the bloodthirsty savage stereotypes of yesteryear. According to Kanentiio's thinking, the Iroquois were a race of tree-hugging avatars who said a two-hour prayer of thanksgiving before every bite of food. When dealing with the modern entrepreneurs who aren't content with living in poverty, he dismisses them as "ethnic Iroquois" who have ceased to be a part of their nations and confederacy. It may impress the fundamentalist Iroquois chiefs to say this, but it does nothing for the reader who wants more encompassing insight into the modern political situation.

While there are many scholars, both native and non-native, who are breaking new ground in areas of the history and culture of the Iroquois, Kanentiio isn't one of them. This book reads like many other books put by "enlightened" non-native authors who seem a bit starstruck by the all-knowing, all-wise Iroquois. What we really need is a book by someone who is willing to take a harsher look at the realities of modern Iroquois life as well as our complicated past and give us a book we can really sink our teeth into.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars unenlightened, February 1, 2003

By 

ia sen ne kwa ien (Akwesasne, Kanienkeh) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Iroquois Culture & Commentary (Paperback)

I would have given this book a negative rating if it was available. Following up on the above critique. I agree that the above are nothing more than news articles (edititorials really), which were yellow journalism at the time and are very little more now. This book is of very little use to any serious student of Iroquois culture, as the author would mold our history and culture to fit contemporary political views and agendas. The term "ėthnic Iroquois" is especially ignorant considering the source, but I digress. The book provides an elementary understanding of true traditional culture and does not provide a compare/contrast of the handsome lake religion to the great law. I would recommend the book but I believe it would be a disservice to any serious student of Iroquios culture. Try Parkman, Morgan, John C. Mohawk, or even Fenton for a more balanced view!