My old Friend Kanasaraken found himself in that situation. He had been installed in the Rotiyaner class at Akwesasne and suddenly his colleagues didn't want him anymore. The traditional Long House Council at Akwesasne had become divided and ready to be conquered. That's how it's done. Divide and conquer. To be sure, the most interested parties are not thinking any such thing. That's another paleface trick. Make the victim think it's his own idea. Don't let him know he's being set up.

It all began when Kanasaraken's brother Larry rented a building at Raquette Point to AKWESASNE NOTES, an Indian newspaper which is said to be the Mohawk Nation official newspaper. However, it's harder for a Mohawk to get an article in Akwesasne Notes than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. That's not very original? Right on! After some years, Larry and the Akwesasne Notes came to the parting of the ways and Akwesasne Notes moved to the Nation House where it began. The last to go was the computer. We have seen computers on TV in two pieces. You could carry them out one under each arm. The Akwesasne Notes computer is different. It's a huge machine which was brought into the house through a large window. It must be the first or original computer like the original typewriter which was made from an old piano having the same number of keys as a typewriter and that's how the typewriter was invented. It took several strong men to move a typewriter (piano) into a house. However, it could go through a door. The Akwesasne Notes computer is too large to go through a door. For some unknown reason, the movers decided not to take out the computer through the window the way it came in but to knock out a hole in the wall without asking the proprietor's permission. .The movers left with their museum piece leaving a large hold in the wall of the House which in the cold Christmas time weather could be considered inconsiderate. Just as they started to drive away, the proprietor Larry and his brother Kanasaraken arrived and demanded what was the meaning of the huge gaping hole on the wall.

The movers were belligerent fellows and a fight developed in which Kanasaraken and his brother were outnumbered and outfought thereby, by the movers who were five in number and also all brothers. After absorbing a number of lefts and rights to the face and few kicks to the body, Kanasaraken broke away and ran into his house a short distance away and returned with a rifle to scare off his enemies. After firing a couple of shots without trying to hit anyone, the movers took the hint and drove away leaving two badly battered brothers to close the hole in the wall the best way they could in the zero weather.

Bad luck was not through with Kanasaraken. His Rotiyaner colleagues decided they now had the right procedure to put him out of the Rotiyaner class. They took his case to the Grand Council at Onondaga forgetting that the Great Law provides the right procedure to depose a Chief. He had to be warned three times by his Clan Mother but he hadn't done anything contrary to the Great Law to be warned for. They decided to invoke the Handsome Lake religion at the Grand Council in Onondaga where it was very strong. They charged Kanasaraken with taking a gun to defend himself with. He was told that any Handsome Lake follower being attacked and assaulted must not defend himself and must let his attackers have their way with him and even kill him if that's what they want. That's when he shall meet his Maker! (When the Handsome Lake religion got organized around 1820, they announced to all the world that they had buried their weapons and shall never fire a gun at anyone ever again. That's when the white settlers poured all over their lands.)

It must be explained that the death wish Handsome Lake religion is not an Indian religion but a collection of unprovable Christian dogmas and doctrines such as hell, devils, angels, sin, purgatory, temporary repentance and other Dark Age Christian beliefs in their most fanatical forms. Unfortunately, some of the Mohawws in Akwesasne including some of the Chiefs have been converted to the Handsome Lake religion and these are the ones who tried to get Kanasaraken deposed by the Grand Council. He has already been advised that no one shall ever listen to him or even speak to him again. Fortunately, not all the Mohawws at Akwesasne have fallen for this unreasonable religion.

The Grand Council saw that it's not up to them to resolve what was a Mohawk internal problem which should be solved by the Mohawws themselves. However, it gave Huron Miller, top Handsome Lake preacher, the opportunity to tell the Mohawks of Akwesasne to go home and clean their house. We assume that Mr. Miller's own house is spotless as it's only "he who is without sin can cast the first stone." Again, not too original, kid?

According to the Constitution only the Rotiyaner (Chiefs) have the right to speak in the Grand Council. Huron Miller is not a Chief. He is only a long winded preacher who can outpreach Billy Graham by many hours and he doesn't even charge $100,000 to speak for ten minutes as does Billy. Neither of them can prove what they preach. There should be a rule about preachers saying only what they can prove. They preach about hell, devils, angels, etc. as if they really exist. The devil and hell were invented by Egyptian priests 5,000 years ago and in all these 50 centuries it has never been proven that they exist. In court, no one can say anything they can't prove or they'll be jailed for perjury. It should be the same in church. If one can't prove what he says then he doesn't speak the truth. He is telling lies. And these liars even try to run our daily lives.

If seems strange that Indians should run straight to Onondaga when they get a problem as if Onondaga has all the answers. When Kaneswake, Kanesatake and Akwesasne were reinstated in the Iroquois Confederacy in 1922, the only council Onondaga had was the Tribal Council devised by the United States government. The traditional Onondaga Council was restored in 1958, much later than us. So, how can they know more than us? Because of the Handsome Lake religion, they are not allowed to rad the Great Law so they don't know their own law and do not know when they are violating it. Indeed, the Iroquois Confederacy is in a mess.

Though the Handsome Lake Chiefs of Akwesasne failed to depose Kanasaraken at the Grand Council, they did ostracize him! "No one shall hear anything you say from now on." All because of religion. A death wish religion. No freedom of religion or from region in the present set up.

When one criticizes and condemns certain acts, organizations or religions, one must submit solutions and make recommendations. These may even be accepted and acted upon. It may not be an exercise in futility. It may not be a hopeless case. The following suggestions are recommended. By whom? Me, of course!

1. Everyone urged to read the Great Law from cover to cover. It doesn't take long. It contains a lot of answers to disputes and problems.

2. All Mohawks (also other Indian Nations) who follow alien religions such as Christianity in all its many sects, Handsome Lake code with its Christian beliefs or any other unIndian region are urged to drop all these foreign religions and return to their own national religion. The Jews, who have been persecuted for more than 3,000 years, say that they survived because of their national religion. The national religion is a force for unity and national survival. Even though many Jews do not believe in their religion they support it with money and their presence whenever needed because it's a force for unity and national survival. So, let all Mohawks return to their national region even if some of them don't believe in it. It's a big help for Indian survival.

3. The Mohawks at Akwesasne are urged to redouble their efforts to reorganize their Warrior Society in spite of all the opposition to it. All Indian nations are hereby encouraged to do likewise. To bury the weapons is to bury the fighting spirit. When people lose their fighting spirit they decrease in number, grow weak, die out and become extinct. People need fighting spirit to survive. Because of their religion, the Handsome Lake followers cannot fight to protect and defend themselves. They have to depend on the Mohawk Warrior Society to do their fighting for them. That's a bleeding shame. The Mohawks may not always be available. So, all Indians who follow the silly Handsome Lake region will do well to drop it and return to their fighting national region and be men once again. The Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas and Tuscaroras are hereby urged to reorganize their Warrior Societies. The Oneidas are already organizing.

Kanasaraken stands ostracized among mislead Mohawks who, we hope, shall eventually see their bad judgement and break away from their misguided and ignorant masters. Once restored to fighting spirit, they'll be a welcome addition to the big fight shaping up in the future. Kanasaraken is not ostracized among the fighting Mohawks who have taken part in Warrior Society actions and are prepared to fight in the future.

Indians Had No Matches

They say that our great and famous Mohawk ancestors started their cooking fires by rubbing two missionaries together.