This Little Book
The opening pages of Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World, Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen: Words Before all Else share:
“These words of thanksgiving come to us from the Native people known as the Haudenosaunee (also Iroquois or Six Nations – Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora) of upstate New York and Canada. The Thanksgiving Address has ancient roots, dating back over 1,000 years…The Address is based on the belief that the world cannot be taken for granted, that a spiritual communication of thankfulness and acknowledgment of all living things must be given to align the minds and hearts of the people with Nature…We believe that all people at one time in their history had similar words to acknowledge the works of the Creator… You are invited – encouraged – to share these words, that our concentrated attention might help us rediscover our balance, respect, and oneness with Nature. Now our minds are one.”
This little book fits in the palm of your hand. Its size is diminutive, but wisdom is nestled within. This particular version of the Thanksgiving Address was modified for a “young, general audience,” with some specific cultural references removed. It shares reflections to affirm our relationships with each other, Earth Mother, the Waters, the Fish, the Plants, the Food Plants, the Animals, the Trees, the Birds, the Four Winds, the Thunders, the Sun, Grandmother Moon, the Stars, the Enlightened Teachers, and the Creator.
The booklet expresses gratitude for each of these elements of creation, written in the Mohawk language by Rokwaho and the English language by John Stokes and Kanawahienton, with illustrations by John Kahionhes Fadden. Each section concludes with Éhtho niiohtónha ‘k ne onkwa’nikón:ra (Now our minds are one). By appreciating everything around us, we develop good relationships with all of creation and with each other.
On the land that is now called the United States, many of us are part of a “young, general audience.” Even if we are not young in years, the absence of reciprocal relationship has rendered mainstream culture immature. We may have forgotten that our ancestors all nurtured harmonious relationships with the plants, animals, waters and stars. During the centuries of colonization and imperialism, much of our ancestral wisdom has been suppressed. Balanced ways of relating to the natural world and to each other have been undermined by ideologies of human progress, power and control.
We are invited to return to reciprocal relationships with the elements of creation. I am grateful for the timeless Iroquois teachings shared with all people in this little book. Interacting with their ancestral wisdom helps me re-member my own.
Part of being a good relative is acknowledging, respecting, and supporting the Indigenous peoples of this land. This booklet was a collaboration between the Six Nations Indian Museum, The Tracking Project, and the Tree of Peace Society. The Tracking Project sells copies of this booklet; proceeds benefit Indigenous language revitalization and Iroquois organizations. To learn about and support a Mohawk language immersion school, please visit Friends of Akwesasne Freedom School.
