Native American – Victor, NY

The featured speakers for the Walworth Cub Scout Pack meeting on March 06-09 were Tonia & Michael Loran who work at Ganondagan, who would be speaking about the oral traditions and ceremonies of indigenous people.

Michael’s people are of the Northern Peyote tribe in Nevada and shared with us how, instead of wearing badges, patches and pins on a uniform, his ancestors would tattoo their accomplishments on their skin. He told of his ancestors’ rites of passage for boys to become accepted as men to hunt and provide for the tribe. To be come accepted as a hunter, a boy would use his bow and arrow to kill small game such as squirrels and rabbits, to give to the elders who were no longer able to hunt. Then, when the boy was about 13-years of age, he would go without his bow and arrow where the deer are to wait in a tree or perch, perhaps for days, for a deer to come near enough for the boy to jump on his “brother’s” back and strangle him. The elders would sacrificially butcher the deer and the boy would have to crawl under the up-turn antlers to signify passing through to manhood.

Lacrosse was not played as a sport with protective padding and a small playing field. It was a means of keeping your body fit and trim. The playing field may be many miles wide, such as from Canandaigua Lake to Seneca Lake.

Michael told how the gift of maple syrup was mis-used, so the gift was altered to only come in the early spring and the people would have to boil 40-gallons of the maple sap to get one gallon of sweet maple syrup.

Tonia’s people are the Mohawk and her clan is the bear. She introduced her children and noted that it is the belief of her people that during the ninth month of pregnancy, a woman should not eat meat to ensure a healthy baby. Also during this time, the father runs every day for the same reason. Apparently it is a good custom, because her children seemed healthy and happy.

Tonia told a story of how her people believe the sharks came into the waters and how butterflies were given as gifts from the Gods.

When she told the tale of the Grass People and the Chief, she came alive and truly became part of the story. As her clear, pleasant voice pronounced in accented English the Grass People taunting the chief, saying: “I am better than you.”, her words flowed into the melodic, undulating sounds of an Indian.

After the Chief vented his rage by grabbing hands-full of grass and eating it, his tummy began to rumble. Flatulence began to launch the chief all over the place, until he conceded that, indeed, The Grass People were mighty. Evidence of this can be found in the shape of the Yellow Poplar that the chief held onto to keep from being launched thither and yon. As you can imagine, her sound effects were fabulous as they got louder and louder, totally captivating her laughing audience.

Michael and Tonia invited everyone to visit the The Ganondagan State Historic Site: Preserving a Past. Providing a Future:

P.O. Box 113, 1488 State Route

444, Victor, New York 14564-0113

phone:  (716) 742-1690

www.ganondagan.org