Apologies to Mother Earth
An evening with
Onondaga Chief Irving Powless, Jr.
(Chawhdayguywhawdoes)
.
Monday, March 4, 6:30 pm
Artrage Gallery
505 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse
.
Chief Powless will talk about the effects of the dominant culture’s destructive relationship with the earth and each other. He tells the story of how his people, the Haudenosaunee, first invited the Europeans to live peaceably and responsibly in this region, made an agreement with them known as the Two Row Wampum Treaty, and observed in dismay the way the newcomers mistreated the earth and human and other beings. With humor, Chief Powless, asks, “Who are these people, anyway?” The Haudenosaunee have been trying to bring us to our senses for nearly 400 years, since the Two Row Wampum was agreed. Chief Powless carries the responsibility of holding and retelling the history of his people and their treaty relations. The Haudenosaunee carry the responsibility, as we all should, to give greetings and thanks, love and respect to Mother Earth, and given the crisis we now face, also our apologies. This is not an entertainment nor a discussion. It is an opportunity to learn history and Indigenous values from someone who knows and has lived them deeply and for many years.
