Haudenosaunee Confederacy
– Links –
Mohawk Council of Chiefs
Mohawks of Canada (Akweksasne)
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte
Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
Oneida Nation of New York
Onondaga Nation
Cayuga Nation
Seneca Nation
Tuscarora Nation
Here are two videos from my husband’s great-uncle: Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper, of the Onondaga Nation to provide some background on the culture. Enjoy!
The inspiration for the Cove Chronicles series sprang from the creation story of the Haudenosaunee. I actually blend a few of the legends and stories from the Haudenosaunee collective memory to provide the sweeping sci-fi saga I envisioned for my central Mohawk characters (Joss Lightfoot and William Hallett).
My story is rooted in this creation story but diverges along a slightly different path. In my version of the creation story Skywoman is a Cosmologist from an alternate universe that slips through a worm hole and ends up on Earth shortly after the last ice age**.
It also borrows heavily in quantum mechanics (it helps that I have a QM physicist at home to use as a sounding board). Quantum entanglements, string theory, multi-verse, bubble nucleation… it’s all good. And it’s all in there with a Native perception twist (think of it as the seasoning on a good steak).
I am in the process of securing a digital artist (better than myself) to help me with some graphic representations of what I think the seaside town of Hallett’s Cove would look like as well as the cast of characters within the series (the first in the series – a novel – will be published by NineStar Press in the first quarter of 2019 under the title of Akwekon (which is a Mohawk word meaning “All of us, together.”)).
Hmmm, maybe even a graphic novel can’t be far off? I got enough trapped in my noggin’ to fill up several graphic novels, so content will not be a problem. Having just visited WonderCon here in San Francisco I am sort of amped up to produce something of a graphic nature.
In either event, I’ve posted a free read of the first chapter in the great Haudenosaunee project – The Cove Chronicles have begun. Stay tuned!
More to post later. For now, please feel free to check the Haudenosaunee Links posted at the top of this page (these are external links and as such, I cannot be held responsible for their content). The confederacy has a rich history that is deeply entwined in our American history (something the history books of this country gloss over). I hope you find the websites I have listed a fascinating read. Enjoy!
** (some 15, 000 years ago… “creationists” be damned — can you tell I live in the SF Bay Area?)