The Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook on Sovereignty and Survival

The first collection of its kind, this anthology by members of the Mohawk Warrior Society uncovers a hidden history and paints a bold portrait of the spectacular experience of Kanien'kehá ka survival and self-defense. Providing extensive documentation, context, and analysis, the book features foundational writings by prolific visual artist and polemicist Karoniaktajeh Louis Hall (1918-1993)--such as his landmark 1979 pamphlet, The Warrior's Handbook, as well as selections of his pioneering artwork. This book contains new oral history by key figures of the Rotisken'rhakéhte's revival in the 1970s, and tells the story of the Warriors' famous flag, their armed occupation of Ganienkeh in 1974, and the role of their constitution, the Great Peace, in guiding their commitment to freedom and independence. We hear directly the story of how the Kanien'kehá ka Longhouse became one the most militant resistance groups in North America, gaining international attention with the Oka Crisis of 1990. This auto-history of the Rotisken'rhakéhte is complemented by a Mohawk history timeline from colonization to the present, a glossary of Mohawk political philosophy, and a new map of Iroquoia in Mohawk language. At last, the Mohawk Warriors can tell their own story with their own voices, and to serve as an example and inspiration for future generations struggling against the environmental, cultural, and social devastation cast upon the modern world.

Born in 1940, Kahentinetha is a Mohawk living in Kahnawake, mother of twenty children, grand-children and great-grandchildren in the Rotihskareh: wakeh (Spitting Bear) clan. She has played an important role as a speaker and a writer in the indigenous resistance movement since the 1950s, witnessing and taking part in numerous struggles, including the 1968 Akwesasne border crossing. Carrying on the legacy of her mentor Louis Karoniaktajeh Hall, she has been running the Mohawk Nation News service since the 1990 Oka crisis.

Philippe Blouin is an anthropologist, translator, and organizer from Montreal, Quebec. His current research at Mcgill University studies Mohawk political philosophy with Longhouse elders and develops an anthropology of alliance through decolonial struggle. He has published in LiaisonsStasis, as well as a postface to George Sorel's Reflections on Violence.

Matt Peterson is an organizer at Woodbine, an experimental space in New York City. He is the co-director of The Native and the Refugee, a multi-media documentary project on American Indian reservations and Palestinian refugee camps.