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Teen workcampers learn about |
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A group of teenagers from central Massachusetts spent their April school vacation learning firsthand about the life and culture of Native Americans in modern United States. Over the course of five days, the group learned about issues affecting a community of Mohawk people who have returned to the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York. The workcamp was the second visit to the Mohawk Valley in the UUSC workcamp designed exclusively for teenagers. All of them were ninth grade students, and all of the volunteers were members of the same church, the Winchester Unitarian Society of Winchester, Mass. The workcamp was based on the Kanatsiohareke farm in the Mohawk Valley town of Fonda. "My experience at the Mohawk Community workcamp was incredible," said Carol Fraser, 16. "I learned about the Native American struggle throughout United States history, as well as their traditional customs." The 27 teenagers were accompanied by UUSC staff and three adults from the Winchester church, including the Rev. Mary Harrington, minister. The workcamp was unusual in that all of the participants were from the same congregation, many of the participants were under 16 years of age, and the youth group leaders spent time planning the camp with UUSC staff and raising funds to support it. UUSC workcamp leader Nguyen Weeks said the Mohawk Valley attracts Native Americans throughout upstate New York seeking to learn more about their history and enrich their heritage. She said the Mohawk community offers cultural and educational programs that are not available to Native American families in public school systems. "They believe it is a fulfillment of a prophecy for them to return to the Mohawk Valley where their ancestors lived," said Ms. Weeks. In addition to learning about the history of the Mohawk people, the workcamp participants worked on the farm rehabilitating buildings and doing fencing and landscaping projects. They also prepared a traditional Mohawk meal, participated in ceremonial dances and learned how to make a Native American drum. "There was a whole other part of the workcamp that I had only slightly anticipated -- the wealth of knowledge I learned, culturally as well as socially, from the Mohawk people who have been working so hard to revive their past as well as live in harmony with the present, modern world," said Ms. Fraser. "The Mohawk have something they call their 'original instructions,' which according to tradition apply to every living being. Humans are moving away from their original instructions and damaging their environment." The Kanatsiohareke hosts were informative, friendly and welcoming. Community leader Tom Porter shared stories of the Iroquois Nation including prophecies and historical facts that were both spellbinding and compelling. The Mohawk Valley workcamp is one of several opportunities for social justice advocates to put their values into action in meaningful ways. Visit 2005 Just Works workcamps for a list of other opportunities this year.
by Dick Campbell/UUSC |
