8 Comments

Very well written and informative Andrew.

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Hey, thanks! I found out some stuff about Kondiaronk, but then I had to learn and verify a ton of stuff. It was a lot of work, but I hope it paid off.

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I have never heard of Kondiaronk before this, but his beliefs echo two other Indigenous leaders with connections to Canada, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh and the Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, who sought unity not only amongst their own people but with white settlers (hence their active participation in the events of the War of 1812). If these desires had been achieved, the history of white-Indigenous relations in North America would be far different than what they became in the 19th century to come.

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Thanks for reminding me about Tecumseh! I need to write about him one day. Brant is much newer to me, but I like the inherent paradoxes he represents.

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Of course the white man always spoke with a double-minded forked tongue.

Remember too the very fatefull "Doctrine of Discovery" which still has some force in certain legal proceddings

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Thanks for introducing Kondiaronk. He comes across as a unique and far-sighted man.

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Thanks for the introduction to Kondiaronk ... wouldn't it be amazing to hear his words. I've been continually inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer's Honorable Harvest:

“Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.”

“Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.”

“Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.”

“Never take the first. Never take the last.”

“Take only what you need.”

“Never take more than half. Leave some for others.”

“Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.”

“Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.”

“Share.”

“Give thanks for what you have been given.”

“Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.”

“Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.”

And the idea that nature loves us.

Thanks for a wonderful message and happy thanksgiving!

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“Harvest in a way that minimizes harm” is so good. I learned recently that the culinary oath contains a part about not wasting food; that warmed my cold heart!

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