"Mohawk Indians" seek Grand Ronde's approval

In Grand Ronde: We'll Decide About Mascots, people called Grand Ronde chairman Reyn Leno a sellout and an "apple." Here's more evidence that his actions are based on anything but a genuine concern for Native cultures.

Mohawk High School reaches out to Grande Ronde tribes in hopes of keeping Indians mascot

By Alisha RoemelingMohawk High School, in the ­Marcola School District northeast of Eugene, is home to the Mohawk Indians, a mascot it’s used since the school was established in the late 1920s, district Superintendent Bill Watkins said.

An image of an Indian with a mohawk and feathers in his hair adorns the floor of the school’s gym.

In an attempt to ensure the ­district won’t have to resurface the gym floor and do away with other ­elements of its mascot, Watkins met with the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, based in Polk County, in August.

But the discussion has not yet yielded a clear, written deal.

“They said they would support us and that they were not a group that was against school districts using anything associated with North ­American Indians or North ­American natives,” Watkins said. “I’ve never met a finer group of people who embraced me and embraced the fact that we wanted to talk with them.”So the Mohawk Indians of Marcola are trying to make a deal with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. According to Watkins, "they" (probably Chairman Leno and his lackeys) support the Mohawks.

Indeed, if we go by Watkins, Leno supports "anything associated with North ­American Indians." So this process has nothing to do with portraying Oregon Natives or any Natives accurately.

Law says no to Leno

That's odd, you might say. But shouldn't Oregon tribes have the right to determine what matters to them?

Let's continue with the article and how it describes the situation:While Marcola’s high school bears a tribe’s name—Mohawk—the Mohawk Tribe does not have Oregon ties. The Saint Regis Mohawk tribe originated in New York, according to a list of federally recognized tribes compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Nonetheless, the ­Marcola community long has identified with the Mohawk name.

Mohawk High is named after the Mohawk River, a tributary of the McKenzie River. The Mohawk River and the surrounding Mohawk Valley received their names in 1847 when ­settler Jacob Spores said the valley reminded him of the Mohawk River in his home state of New York, according to the Oregon Historical Society.

The new state rules make it complex for schools to win exemptions to keep their tribal mascots.

For example, the state education board’s rules for mascots with no obvious affiliation to an Oregon tribe are ­somewhat unclear.

The Jan. 21 rule summary states that a public school can enter into a written agreement with a Native American tribe that declares that the mascot “represents, is significant to or associated with the tribe” that the school is trying to enter an agreement with.

It also states that Oregon tribes cannot approve a mascot that’s from a tribe outside of Oregon.So the real Mohawks have no connection to Marcola's "Mohawks." The law states that no Oregon tribe can approve a non-Oregon name such as "Mohawks." Then why is Chairman Leno even meeting with school representatives? He has no right to intervene, but he's trying to do it anyway. He's nakedly circumventing the law.

For the answer to "why," see the first line about sellouts and apples. Leno doesn't care about Oregon tribes or their cultures. He's trying appease non-Natives--to gain clout as a broker between whites and Natives. That furthers his ability to stay in office and profit from his tribe's gaming.

Profile of tribal corruption

Confirming Leno's dubious ethics and morality is the following posting:

Profile of Tribal Corruption: Reyn LenoHere are the facts we know about Reyn Leno and his corrupt leadership:

He advocates for racist Native American mascots that are proven to have negative impacts on children as stated by the American Psychology Association in their 2005 study.

He has a total of 10 reported ethics violations. From the official complaint, https://andyjenness.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/reyn-leno-ethics-complaint-10-09-2011.pdf: "Defendant failed to uphold his oath of office in several ways. First, he failed to declare conflicts of interest between his personal interest and the public interest on multiple occasions. Second, he entered into an unlawful business transaction with RV. Where he paid less than market rates for services rendered from RV, a company which he, at the time, served as the Chairman on the board of directors, effectively committing theft of services. Third, Defendant used his position, influence and power to conceal and cover-up his unethical behavior."

He’s disenrolling tribal members under secrecy using Abramoff’s playbook and then putting a gag order on said tribal members, using ‘sovereignty’ to justify stripping members of their First Amendment rights. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jack-abramoff-the-lobbyists-playbook-30-05-2012/For more on the subject, see "Teach Our History, Keep Native Mascots" and The Grand Ronde Indians Mascot.

Mohawk astronaut in Gilligan's Island

In The Kidnapper episode of Gilligan's Island (airdate: Nov. 28, 1966), Mr. Wylie--the kidnapper played by Don Rickles--says he enjoyed Ginger in the movie Moon Over the Mohawk. Ginger says he's mistaken; the movie was Mohawk Over the Moon. It was about an Indian astronaut.

It's just a throwaway gag, but it was an early acknowledgement that Indians could be something other than warriors in headdresses and buckskins. There were only a few examples on TV prior to Ginger's remark. For instance, the Eskimo pilot in The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour and the Lakota scientist in The Time Tunnel.

"Mohawk Tavern" changes name

New Windsor Terrace bar drops ‘Mohawk Tavern’ name after locals and Native Americans deem it offensive

The firestorm over the Prospect Ave. pub erupted last week following its April 29 opening, which spurred dozens of locals to call for the name to be axed on a local website.

By Natalie MusumeciA newly opened “upstate”-themed bar in Windsor Terrace christened “Mohawk Tavern” in April has dropped the name after locals and Native Americans cried foul.

“Once we heard the comments and people of Native American ancestry come in and say it was offensive, we figured it would be best to change the name out of respect for them,” said owner Paul Hamill, who will switch the pub’s name to
“Adirondacks” in honor of the park and mountain range.

The firestorm over the Prospect Ave. pub erupted last week following its April 29 opening, which spurred dozens of locals to call for the name to be axed on a local website.

Many said that naming a bar after an Iroquois tribe that has endured centuries of alcoholism was insensitive.

2015 Sacagawea dollar designs

2015 Native American $1 Coin Design Candidates

By Darrin Lee UnserThe Mohawk Iron Workers theme is the latest in a series of annually changing reverses going back to 2009. The series celebrates the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States, and it was authorized by the Native American $1 Coin Act, Public Law 110-82.

Mohawk Iron Workers describe the Mohawk people who helped construct skyscrapers and bridges throughout the United States. Their iron worker history dates back to the 1880′s when they labored to build a bridge over the St. Lawrence River. Their work ethic and sure footing demonstrated on that bridge gained them a respected reputation which has led to generations of Mohawk Iron Workers.

Previous Native American $1 Coins showcased the following themes:

2009 – Three Sisters Agriculture
2010 – Great Tree of Peace and the Iroquois Confederacy
2011 – Great Wampanoag Nation
2012 – Trade Routes
2013 – Treaty with the DelawaresA lot of good designs here. Only a few are subpar. I particularly like designs 4, 5, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20. If I had to pick one, I might go with 19 because of its robust figure:



Side note: I was wondering how the Mint would "commemorate" events from the early 1800s to the 1930s. You know, from the War of 1812 to the boarding-school era, when the greatest Native achievement was surviving the land thefts and military onslaughts.

And now we have an answer: by skipping them!

The so-called stakeholders didn't agree with my choices:

CCAC Reviews 2015 Native American Dollar Designs

By Les PetersDuring a meeting held on March 10th, 2014 at the U.S. Mint's headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee reviewed and discussed the reverse designs for the 2015 Native American Dollar.

The preferences of the stakeholders were designs 8 (Congressional Native American Caucus of the House of Representatives and the National Congress of the American Indian), 13 (National Congress of the American Indian and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs), and 15 (Senate Committee on Indian Affairs).

The only one of these that made my list was 13, the middle one.

But the committee liked design 4, so it authorized some changes:The last was a twist, asking to set aside the 1-point margin that design 13 was given and instead recommend design 4, with the inclusion of an expansion of the second motion, changing the font throughout the design to the 2009-2012 style: this motion passed on a 6-2 vote, thus making design 4 the committee's recommendation.

Good choice!

For more on the subject, see 2014 Dollar to Honor Lewis and Clark and 2013 Sacagawea Dollar Reverse Unveiled.

Mohawk shaman in Sleepy Hollow

The third episode of Sleepy Hollow, titled For the Triumph of Evil (airdate: 9/30/13), had a Native theme. Here's a recap with my comments:

‘Sleepy Hollow’ season 1, episode 3 recap: ‘For the Triumph of Evil’

By Tasha Meares

The episode begins with a dream demon (aka the Sandman) driving people to madness and suicide. In their basement office, Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills research dream mythology.

She explains to him that dream spirits have been around for centuries, but most of them were harmless. She continues to explain that there are those out there that are less friendly; dream demons.

She shows him a picture and asks him if he knows him. Ichabod asks her if the creature that she saw in her dream and big hollow eye sockets, of which he did.

He begins to tell her of the first time he heard of this myth that has become all too real. He explains that he heard of this while fighting alongside the Mohawks during the Revolutionary War. The symbol that they would draw on the ground would be the same symbol that appeared in the old manuscript Abbie had shown him.On the bad side, Abbie's symbol is an hour-glass shape bisected by an arrow. It looks like some medieval rune; it doesn't look remotely Native

On the good side, Ichabod names the demon Ro'kenhrontyes. At least that sounds like a Mohawk word. Alas, the legend is apparently made up:

Was Ro’kenhrontyes a real part of Mohawk folklore?No and it is frustrating when Hollywood writes fiction and then attributes it to a real living culture. Most people don't bother to ask if something is real as you have done. They simply assume it is and then it gets repeated so often it becomes truth in the minds of the general population. I can't tell you how many times I (a traditional Mohawk) have been "corrected" by a non-Native on my own culture because they saw it in a movie or they read a book.The Mohawk camp

Back to Meares's review:The Mohawk spoke of the dream demon killing his father because he had turned a blind eye on his neighbor’s plight. Hmm…does that sound familiar?

She asks Ichabod what she should do.Good: In a brief flashback, the Mohawks and their camp look reasonable. There are no tipis or chiefs in feather bonnets--nothing too stereotypical.



Bad: The Mohawks look underdressed for a cool New England night. I'm guessing they wore shirts most of the time.He tells her that they need to visit a Mohawk Shaman. She tells him how after the new government took hold a lot of the new government and the Native Americans fought, and a lot of their land was taken away. She told him that there were not a lot of their people left around. Ichabod is shocked, claiming that those people were his friends.Ichabod claims more than that. He claims their "nation" (singular) stretched across the continent. Not quite, since there wasn't one Indian nation.

He claims the Indians' system of governance formed the basis of the laws of the 13 colonies. One, I'm not sure how he could say that before the writing of the Constitution. Two, this is an unproven theory that he almost certainly wouldn't have been familiar with.

He also says the Mohawks fought with him against the British. Maybe a few did, but most of the Iroquois tribes sided with the British against the Americans. The Oneida were the only tribe who fought on the American side. But I guess "Mohawk" is more familiar than "Oneida" so they went with that.

So Ichabod reaction is superficially good, though it hews to a liberal line unheard of for an 18th-century man. But it's laced with problems.

GeronimotorsWith that, they take off to Geronimotors to the sweet tune of Mister Sandman. I am not even going to discuss the cheesy irony in all of this.

The owner introduces himself and proceeds to try to sell them something. Stereotypical used car salesman type. They tell him that they are the police, and immediately, he jumps a little matter of toxic waste that he has in the back. After she tells him that this is not what they are there for, he softens up a little. They tell him that they need his help in combat the dream spirit.Good: The owner's name is Seamus Duncan. No stereotypical John Black Wolf or Joe White Eagle here.

He's dressed in a suit and bolo tie and talks like a regular guy with a snarky attitude. In other words, he doesn't look or act like a stereotypical Indian.

Bad: He's played by Michael Teh, an actor from Australia. He look and his name suggest he's Asian--perhaps Chinese. That they couldn't find a Native actor to play the role is lame.



Ambivalent: The Geronimotors car lot with its chopping tomahawk sign.

I think Duncan the Mohawk owner and the show's creators are trying to have it both ways. One the one hand, Duncan and they are mocking the average American' ignorance. They presumably know better, and Duncan seems like the kind of shrewd businessman who would exploit his Native heritage.

On the other hand, the difference between using stereotypes to mock ignorance and using them, period, is subtle. I inferred the creators' intent, but not that many Americans will make the effort. They may well believe that Mohawks, shamans, Geronimo, and tomahawks are part of one big Native culture.

What if a white man owned this used-car dealership? Then the sign clearly would be offensive because of the stereotypes. Having a Native owner may change a few viewers' perceptions, but it doesn't change the equation significantly. Most people will read the stereotypes superficially, so the show probably should've omitted them.

The lot also has one or two wooden Indian as decorations. This is taking the gag a little far, I'd say. Even if Duncan thinks he's mocking his customers, at some point he's contributing to the stereotypes just like an ignorant non-Native.

Duncan the shamanAt first, he rebels against them as if they are mocking him. They assure him that they are not kidding. Ichabod follows him as he walks away. He tells him that he saw the look in his eyes when he mentioned the dream spirit. He said that he saw the same look in his ancestors’ eyes when he mentioned the name to them as well.

Ichabod tells him that the dream spirit is coming for his friend, and asks him what he will do when the spirit comes for him. Suddenly, he stops.

After some intense persuasion he agrees to help them.Duncan tries to disabuse them of any stereotypes they may have. He doesn't live in a teepee or dance in powwow. Ichabod says that's too bad, because he rather liked powwows.

Uh, what we now call powwows didn't occur till a century after Ichabod's time. From Powwows.com:The first legitimate intertribal powwow in Oklahoma was the Ponca Powwow. It began in northern Indian Territory around 1879.Sure, there might have been other tribal gatherings, but they probably weren't for festive dancing, and they probably weren't called "powwows." Duncan is referring to the modern powwow concept concept and Ichabod is referring to something else. But the episode again suggests that there's one Indian nation that has celebrated the same way for centuries.He asks them to get in his truck, and he takes them for a long drive out to the middle of nowhere to a building that looks much more befitting of a Native American Shaman.

Bad: Most Native cultures, including the Mohawk, don't have shamans. A shaman is a particular kind of spiritual practitioner, not any indigenous person who does magic.

Bad: The lodge is dim and smoky and hung with furs, blankets, and oil lamps. It conveys the idea that the "shaman" is engaged in something dark and unnatural, like black magic.

Scorpion magicHe tells them that this is no run of the mill demon. This one will drive you to a pain so unimaginable that you will take your own life. He explains that some souls go to heaven, some souls go to hell. Those souls who are not claimed go straight to hell with the demon.

He tells her that there is nothing she can do while on this plain. He explains that if she drinks the tea he has placed in front of her, she will travel into his dream world. Then the real fight begins.

She raises her glass before drinking the whole thing. He explains to her that once she enters the dream world, the demo will pick what challenge she has to face. She is a living soul in the valley of death. He explains that if she dies in the dream world, she dies in reality as well.

Almost immediately, Crane takes a sip of the same tea. He tells her that he is coming with her.

The Shaman explains to them that the tea will put them to sleep while the venom will allow them to control their actions while they are asleep.

Whose venom, you may ask? He shows them the scorpion caged in the glass jar.

The Shaman straps both Crane and Mills to tables. He says it is for their own protection. He stresses how much the scorpion’s sting hurts.

He informs them that once they enter the dream world, the tea will keep them connected. Only they will know what they have to do.

The shamans open the jars and place them on Ichabod and Abbie’s stomachs.

Almost simultaneously, the scorpions sting, and they are off to the dream world.Bad: It wasn't enough to send them into the dream state with drugged tea? It required a scorpion's sting to give them "control"? That seems unnecessarily dark. It implies that Native religion is unhealthy if not dangerous--not "safe and sane" like Western religions.



Even if the show is supposed to be scary, the creators could've done something else. Like give them "magic mushrooms" and send them on a "bad acid trip." There's no reason a trip to the dream world should require deadly venom. The tea alone could've sent them and given them control.

Conclusion

Rebecca Pahle of TheMarySue.com sums up the episode's Native bits:Is it just me, or did Sleepy Hollow handle Native Americans with a liiiiiittle less cultural sensitivity than it did when it refused to make Ichabod a special snowflake for disapproving of slavery back in the day. Granted, Seamus did say to cut it out with the stereotype schtick, because he doesn’t live in a teepee or a participate in pow-wows, thank you very much. And that was cool. But the way the Native American of course believes in the dream demon and of course knows how to defeat it using “ancient Mohawk knowledge” had me wincing big-time.

But on the positive side: Seamus’ car lot is called Geronimotors, and he asks Ichabod and Abbie whether they’re into time travel, because he has a mint-condition DeLorean he can sell them. *deep breath* I love the smell of bad puns and “I see what you did there” in-jokes in the morning.My thought: If you're gonna have a Mohawk demon, it makes sense to have a Mohawk involved in its defeat. But that means having a medicine man or the equivalent doing supernatural stuff, which is generally stereotypical.

I'm not sure there's a good solution to this problem. You could have several Mohawks, some of whom don't believe in the demon. You could make the demon non-Native and use the Mohawks in another story.

Overall, I'd say the Native bits are another mixed bag, like those of the recent Modern Family and The Crazy Ones. Bringing Indians into Sleepy Hollow's world, and having a young Native business owner with a modern attitude, are great. But the ignorance about Mohawk lore, the Geronimotors car lot, the non-Native actor, and the whole supernatural scene cancel that out. One step forward, two steps back.

P.S. In the next episode, Sleepy Hollow briefly dramatized the Boston Tea Party. Kudos to it for not showing stereotypical Indian "braves," even though some were present. They weren't necessary for the story, so it was smart to avoid potential problems and leave them out.

For more on Sleepy Hollow, see "Shaman" Filmed for Sleepy Hollow.

Silverheels started with lacrosse

A Sidekick’s Little-Known Leading Role in Lacrosse

By Jeff Z. KleinAt Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagersville, Ontario, the home of the Six Nations Chiefs, box lacrosse champions of eastern Canada, a photograph from 1931 hangs on the wall. Gazing ahead resolutely and gripping a lacrosse stick is a handsome dark-haired Mohawk man with a bandage over his right brow.

That man was Harry J. Smith, but many years later, he became known to the world as Jay Silverheels, the actor who played Tonto in the “The Lone Ranger,” a television series that ran from 1949 to 1957. This summer, there is renewed interest in Silverheels, after Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Tonto in the big-budget film “Lone Ranger.”

How Smith, a lacrosse star of the Six Nations of the Grand River, became Silverheels, an actor who despised his own portrayal of an Indian, is a story that spans a continent and an era. But few realize that what put him on the path to Hollywood was the invention of indoor lacrosse—box lacrosse, as it is called in Canada and western New York.

“He would never have been discovered, never have become Tonto, if he hadn’t been in L.A. to play box lacrosse,” said the historian Larry Power, compiler of the Internet archive Bible of Lacrosse.Comment:  For more on Tonto, see New Tonto as Racist as Old Tonto and Best of the Lone Ranger Reviewed.

Mohawk golfer qualifies for US Open

Native Golfer Earns Spot in U.S. Open, Call from Notah BegayIt's official: Jesse Smith, Mohawk from Six Nations, has qualified for the U.S. Open, the second major golf tournament of the season.

Smith, 33, who has golfed professionally for seven years, played his way into the U.S.'s national championship by finishing in the top four at a sectional qualifying round staged at Century Country Club in Purchase, New York on June 3. This will be Smith's first appearance in a major--and in a PGA Tour event. The last Native American to compete at the U.S. Open was Jeff Curl, Wintu, son of former PGA Tour player Rod Curl, according to Stephen Tooshkenig, the president of ST Golf, which works with Native golfers to develop their game.Comment:  For more on Native golfers, see Begay Joins NBC Golf Team and Wintu Golfer Qualifies for US Open.

Mohawk Girls on APTN

Mohawk Girls series tells stories of once 'voiceless' women

'I’m making a show about my own life,' says director Tracey DeerThe director behind a TV series being shot in Kahnawake says she wants to show Canadians what it means to be a Mohawk woman.

“I’m making a show about my own life, about my sister's life, my friends', my cousins',” says director Tracey Deer.

The series, Mohawk Girls, follows four young women who are searching for love as they struggle to find their place in the world.

"I grew up on the reserve feeling invisible, voiceless, in all aspects of my life—here on the reserve, out in the bigger world. I felt really boxed in," Deer says.Comment:  For more on the Mohawk, see Thundersky the Construction Clown Artist and Native Values in Assassin's Creed 3.

Thundersky the construction clown artist

Remembering Raymond Thundersky, Roving Artist-Clown of Cincinnati

By Mary Annette PemberSome people thought he was a great Mohawk chief, some thought he had royal blood, some thought he was Jesus and some just thought he was crazy.

Raymond Thundersky’s life was a mystery that provided fodder for the growth of a tantalizingly vague urban legend.

Prior to his death in 2004, Thundersky roamed the streets of Cincinnati wearing a clown costume and hard hat while carrying a toolbox. An enigmatic figure, he frequented construction sites, creating a colorful trickster-like presence among the cranes and cement trucks. He seldom spoke, preferring instead to draw--and draw, and draw.

Obsessed with demolition as well as construction, his childlike drawings always envisioned the future. Taking his markers and paper from his toolbox, he would set up a temporary easel at construction sites. His works were titled with names such as “Future Mohawk Freeway,” or “New Clown Costume Factory.”

To most people in Cincinnati, he was known simply as “Chief,” and occupied a certain celebrity status around which many stories grew. According to some, he was of noble birth and descended from “the last Mohawk chief.” In a city far from Indian country, with no Native community, most people’s concepts of American Indians are stereotypical notions that come from Hollywood. In this environment, romantic rumors about Thundersky's identity and past easily morphed into fact for the citizens of Cincinnati.Comment:  The article notes that Thundersky wasn't enrolled in the St. Regis Mohawk tribe. He allegedly moved to Cincinnati with some Mohawk families and got a job on a construction site. Mohawks have a history of working on construction projects, and that connection got him started.

From my perspective, the interesting thing about this article is that it shows an Indian in a nontraditional and novel role: a construction clown artist. Once again, Indians aren't just chiefs and braves. They're as varied as any other group of people.

For more on Mohawks and construction, see Mohawk Ironworker Caps Freedom Tower and Mohawk Ironworkers Helped Build WTC.

Below:  "Raymond Thundersky surrounded by clowns in an undated Polaroid photo that was found in one of the artist's toolboxes after his death."

Native values in Assassin's Creed 3

An analysis goes deeper into Assassin's Creed 3's Native history and culture than previous postings have done:

Indigenous Representations in Assassin’s Creed III

By Beth Aileen DillonFeminine Strength: Kaniehti:io (Connor’s Kanien’kehá:ka mother) is an intelligent, suspicious, and tactical woman who helps to free enslaved “Natives,” arranges alliances across Indigenous nations, and saves the life of Haytham Kenway (by being totally badass and strong herself).

Ubisoft does still occasionally get iffy, like the Clan Mother who gets too close to the “Mystic Savage” trope in her shamanistic powers and tone. However, given the Assassin’s Creed series’ science fiction time traveling storyline, the elder’s knowledge of the “portal” adds an element to the growing recognition of Indigenous science fiction.

The game generally has an anti-colonialist tone. Kaniehti:io rightfully doesn’t trust Haytham. Even the non-player characters question their role, such as a British soldier who comments about the expedition: “Slap a fancy name on something and all is excused.” Interestingly, the game is mindful of (what to the Anishinaabe is known as) Weendigo nature of the colonizers—Weendigo being a spirit of endless consumption that can enter someone prone to that way of being and mount to cannibal nature. As a youth, Connor predicts of westward expansion: “In time they will swallow us whole.” Haytham, being self-reflective, states, “We’re cruel and desperate creatures, set in our conquering ways” and acknowledges his own “desire for more, and more, and more.” Kaniehti:io worries about the “same dark hunger” being passed down in her son.

Overall, the game balances the bloodiness necessary for a game about assassination with Indigenous ways of knowing, such as when Connor points out when hunting, “We must return nature’s kindness with our own.”

Props to Ubisoft and Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace for these strides.Comment:  For more on Assassin's Creed 3, see Assassin's Creed 3's Mohawk Advisers and Noah Watts as Mohawk Assassin.

Assassin's Creed 3's Mohawk advisers

A columnist interviews the two Mohawk consultants who helped develop the Mohawk portions of the Assassin's Creed 3 video game. The following may be the most interesting section:

The Awesome Mohawk Teacher and Consultant Behind Ratonhnhaké:ton

By Michael VenablesVenables: What kind of cultural guidelines did you set down for Ubisoft to allow Ratonhnhaké:ton in Assassin’s Creed 3 to appear as a member of the Kanien’kehá:ka in appearance, speech and beliefs? Was this a community process that involved Nation elders in deliberation?

Teiowí:sonte: For the most part, I was able to provide advice independently, drawing from my own knowledge of our history and culture. However, for things I was not completely sure about, I did my research and asked around our community.

Certainly, a big part of why I was recruited was to ensure that Ubisoft did not produce anything that would be considered culturally offensive to our people. That said, ideas were often bounced off of me to ensure that Ubisoft was culturally sensitive and accurate. For example, when some of the writers were thinking about a segment which used ceremonial masks, I immediately advised them not to incorporate something so spiritually private to our people. No doubt, our people would have been quite upset about something like that in the game and probably would have presented a stern opposition against the game.

To their credit, Ubisoft went above and beyond to ensure that the rich and distinct culture of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) Nation was accurately portrayed in the final product, to the best of their ability.

Venables: Do you have any further thoughts on your contribution to helping the Kanien’kehá:ka Mohawk Nation share its culture with the world, in a video game?

I believe that having a Kanien’kehá:ka protagonist appear in a such a popular game franchise such as Assassin’s Creed 3, makes our nation relevant again to people who might think we are but a shadow of the past. It puts us on the map again and makes our culture accessible.

There are a lot of unfortunate stereotypes or unfounded romanticisms about Native Americans in contemporary society and popular culture today, including racial ignorance. I believe most people in the world today amalgamate the vast and distinct cultures of each indigenous nation into a sort of pan-Indian cliché, which does a big disservice to these cultures who work hard to protect and strengthen their distinct identity as a sovereign people against tough odds.

Assassin’s Creed 3 takes the time to give its audience an accurate glimpse into Kanien’kehá:ka culture, by incorporating our true language, our songs, and our historical experience during an era that depended greatly upon Native American alliances. This accessibility may inspire someone to learn more about the various Native American cultures in North America and their contributions to the world today. For example, most people just don’t know how much of a significant role the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and other Iroquoian peoples played in the American Revolution and the geopolitical landscape we live in today.

Whether they learn something as simple as how not all Native Americans lived in tepees, or something more significant such as how the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) constitution inspired the creation of the US Constitution; it would be worth it.Comment:  For more on Assassin's Creed 3, see Noah Watts as Mohawk Assassin and Assassin's Creed 3 Misrepresents History.

Below:  "Assassin's Creed 3 concept art." (Ubisoft Entertainment)

Mohawk designer on Victoria's Secret

Mohawk Designer Marlana Thompson Discusses the Victoria's Secret Fashion ShowThe recent controversy over the use of a feather headdress as an accessory during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show continues to rankle many Natives--some of whom decided to stop buying the company's wares. And pop group No Doubt's racially-insensitive video for the song "Looking Hot," although quickly removed from YouTube, nonetheless alienated many Native fans. ICTMN recently discussed the issue with native fashion designer Marlana Thompson. Thompson is Wolf Clan from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation territory of Akwesasne, located on the St. Lawrence River between the U.S. and Canada, and lives in Squamish, B.C. with her companion Wayne Gausedis Baker. A mother of two daughters, she is the owner and designer of at Okwaho Creations, maker of custom beadwork, traditional and contemporary clothing, which can be seen online at marlanathompson.com.

What is your professional opinion?

Ok, let’s put the personal motivations aside, assume that was not the case. The clothing choice projected a very poorly done satire.

She’s wearing all Southwest silver and turquoise jewelry and a Plains-Indian-style, made-in-Taiwan turkey-feather headdress, with the obvious made-in-Taiwan beadwork. This in my opinion degrades and undervalues real beadwork handmade by real First Nations artists. And the clothing--the bikini portion of the models outfit--a cheetah-print bottom and bra covered in ultra suede? Since when were cheetahs indigenous to North America? Wait, most mainstream Americans don’t know what "indigenous" means. If they did, most people would know that first Nations people are indigenous to North America, and furthermore we are not all related, nor from the same tribe, we all don’t have the same language and we do not live in teepees and we all don’t have casinos.

How would you tackle the task of designing a Native themes fashion show?

As an FBI--Full Blooded Indian--designer who has done many fashion shows, I would personally never allow any made-in-Taiwan pieces on my runway under any circumstances, and would never dress up a non-native model in a Native “Thanksgiving”-inspired outfit. (I'm being polite to the creative mind at Victoria's Secret who thought up this "inspirational" piece.) I think if the style is to reflect a Native theme, then why not, when there are so many beautiful Native models readily available, hire Native models?! And hire Native designers to assist in the production? We are just as professional in our job as anyone else.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Victoria's Secret Apologizes for Headdress and Victoria's Secret Model in a Headdress.

Noah Watts as Mohawk assassin

Full circle

Actor Noah Watts gets into the game

By Alex SakariassenWatts has racked up quite a resume in the intervening decade. He guest starred on a series of hit TV shows including "CSI: Miami," "Ringer" and "Sons of Anarchy." He played Native American characters in a number of independent films. The stage has even called him back; he played the lead role in the Southwest Repertory Theatre's rendition of The Indolent Boys, and traveled to London's inaugural Origins festival in 2009 to reprise a role from a 2008 "Native Voices at the Autry" production.

For Watts, work has a way of bringing him back to his roots. His latest film is yet to be released, an independent film titled The Last Beyond shot entirely in Watts' hometown of Livingston. The movie is set during the Depression and Watts portrays the Native protagonist Joe Running Elk. The last project Watts worked on in Montana was his first, The Slaughter Rule, meaning The Last Beyond has brought him full circle. Watts considers himself a part of a cadre of Native American writers, directors and actors who, over the past 12 years or so, have exercised increasing control over how their people are represented in popular entertainment.

"It's a huge honor to be part of the group that's breaking these boundaries, stepping forward and saying, 'We have a right to tell our stories, and we have a right to direct our stories, and we want to act in our own [stories],'" Watts says. "We need to control our image in the media and not let some other third party control it for us, tell us who we are, tell everyone else who we are."

Watts spent much of the past summer at Ubisoft's headquarters in Montreal, voicing the role of Mohawk protagonist Connor Kenway and conducting facial- and motion-capture work for in-game cinematics. Watts says he relied on memories of his Crow upbringing to inform how he carried himself as Kenway.

"I just tried to think about certain people in my life who were on that side of my family, the Native side," Watts says. "How they carried themselves, how they talked, how they moved. I was so happy that a game of this caliber, this size, would even consider using a Native American as the main protagonist."Comment:  For more on the subject, see Assassin's Creed 3 Misrepresents History and Reviews of Assassin's Creed 3.

Assassin's Creed 3 misrepresents history

Assassin’s Creed III video game distorts historyAssassin’s Creed III is set in 1765, and promotional material describes how, as “a Native American assassin, (you) eliminate your enemies with guns, bows, tomahawks, and more!” To suggest indigenous peoples rallied to the side of the colonists in their fight for freedom grotesquely twists the facts.

A contributing factor to the American Revolution was the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which established the important precedent that indigenous peoples had certain rights to the lands they occupied. The Declaration of Independence, in contrast, complains that King George III sided with “the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages.”

Whose side would the “Native American assassin” really have been on? Think about it.

The War of 1812, in some respects a sequel to the Revolutionary War, offers some insight. “First Nations fought shoulder-to-shoulder with the British in this important conflict,” Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo said last month, as the federal government presented 48 First Nations with commemorative medals and banners to honour the participation of more than 10,000 First Nations and Métis warriors in the fighting.Good point. I believe the Oneida were the only tribe to side with the rebel Americans against the British. And George Washington was the one who burned Native villages, not the redcoats. Pretending that the freedom-loving Indians sided with the freedom-loving Americans is a gross distortion of history.

It's just a [fill in the blank], again

Not everyone agrees:

Globe And Mail's Assassin's Creed 3 Editorial Spawns Mockery, #GlobeEditorial Meme"Assassin's Creed III is set in 1765, and promotional material describes how, as 'a Native American assassin, (you) eliminate your enemies with guns, bows, tomahawks, and more!' To suggest indigenous peoples rallied to the side of the colonists in their fight for freedom grotesquely twists the facts," the editorial writes.

Yes. A video game where one plays a member of a secret order of assassins that can share the historical memories of one's ancestors "twists the facts."

Wait until the editorial writer finds about the other entries in the hit series. We hear that in one of them you have to go after the Pope and in another you kill Christian crusaders.

The editorial has been openly mocked on Twitter with the hashtag #GlobeEditorial, with many reminding the editorial writer that video games are just that—games.And Aunt Jemima ads were just Aunt Jemima ads. Since everyone knows advertisements aren't real life, I wonder why we ever got rid of them. What harm could they have done?

The obvious retort is: Where do you think most people learn about Natives and other minorities, if not from the media? Once again there's no answer and pro-Native activists win the debate.

Indians weren't relentless killers

Assassin's Creed 3 also has a more subtle problem:

Has Pop Culture Moved Beyond Cowboys And Indians?Over five million people in the U.S. claim some form of Native American identity, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As part of Tell Me More's series on Native American Heritage Month, host Michel Martin speaks with author Anton Treuer about America's first people and how they're reflected in pop culture.

MARTIN: So when you look at that, I'm interested in how you respond to that.

TREUER: I have a mixed reaction. You know, I saw the ads for "Assassin's Creed," the newest edition, which has the Native American assassin as the protagonist. And I was watching and a couple of my older kids were watching when the ad came out. And their first year action was: Cool, there's an Indian who's kicking everybody's butt. And I thought at least we're not being put down as, you know, victims. But on the other hand, this is a game that depicts really one dimension of the native historical experience--the history of, you know, dealing with violence.

Granted, you're not going to be playing "Assassin's Creed" to get a nuanced understanding of history, but at the same time it may be the only intersection point that a lot of people have with Native culture among certain age groups. So I think it's a, you know, it's a double-edged sword. I do appreciate the fact that they brought in Native language consultants. They tried to engage and use Native-language material. They took great care with the representation of the historic Mohawk Village for the brief parts that it appears in the gaming material. So, you know, I know that they're trying to show at least authenticity--even if they're showing a one-dimensional side of Native culture.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Reviews of Assassin's Creed 3 and Assassin's Creed 3's Mohawk Origin.

Reviews of Assassin's Creed 3

The American Revolution: The Game

Assassin’s Creed III is a thrilling, hyperdetailed journey to the Colonial era. There are also aliens.

By Erik Sofge[I]f there's a driving moral imperative in AC3, it's not a flag-waving desire for independence from a distant, fickle imperial power. It's the desire to defend those original Americans, specifically the Mohawks and Iroquois in the Northeast, who watch this white man's conflict unfold. The game's hero is a Mohawk (he's half-white but raised in and accepted by the Mohawk community), and inhabiting his point of view allows you to watch long-standing, formalized tribal alliances shatter as groups align with the Brits and the colonists. But whoever wins, it's clear—the Native Americans are going to lose, and lose everything.

While everyone in the entertainment industry claims to be culturally sensitive when dealing with Native Americans, Ubisoft Montreal didn’t just go through the motions. The game’s makers filtered every relevant plot point and line of Mohawk-language dialogue through Thomas Deer, the cultural liaison for the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center in the Mohawk territory south of Montreal. The studio hired an additional consultant to deal with translation—that time-honored Hollywood tradition of having old-timey Native Americans speak to each other in heavily accented English is notably absent in AC3. When the studio wanted to add background chatter to a village scene, Deer set them up with a local immersion school in his territory, where they could record Mohawk children playing during recess.

It's hard to express the cumulative impact of all that seemingly spot-on Mohawk language and culture. Sure, the hunting sequences are videogamey and oversimplified, and the recurring visual of a Native American driving a hatchet into a white man’s brains isn't the most obvious path toward reversing centuries of racist stereotyping. But even so, AC3 manages to be not only one of the best, most visceral examinations of the history of the Revolutionary War. It’s also possibly the first mainstream look at Native American history that isn't pandering or offensive.

Assassin’s Creed III is no dry history lesson. It's possible to enjoy this game and not care one bit about the fact that Boston is modeled on period maps and on topological data that nails down the elevation of every hill and down-sloping street. You can certainly stalk targets through old New York City without considering the research that went into recreating the distinctive flat Dutch facades that concealed gabled rooftops. And you may well get more excited about the game's present-day crisis, which involves aliens and the world's impending, fiery doom. Yes, AC3 is filled with history, but it's also a swashbuckling sci-fi rip-snorter.

New 'Assassin's Creed' has Native American roots

By Mike SniderThe pair of Assassin's Creed games stretches the standard for what constitutes a video game hero. Most remain white and male, even though some games such as Mass Effect allow the look of the main character to be customized.

Not only is Connor the only non-white main character in a console game this year, "Assassin's Creed III is the only game I can think of with a substantive primary role for a Native American character," says Arthur Gies, reviews editor for Polygon.com. It is also a "step in the right direction for a high-profile title" such as Liberation to have a mixed-race female lead, he says. Ubisoft's one-two Assassin's punch is, Gies says, "subversive, for sure."

Integration wasn't solely at the heart of the design decision to give Connor Native American bloodlines, says Alex Hutchinson, creative director for Assassin's Creed III. Where previous Assassin leads relied heavily on knives and swords, Connor wields a tomahawk, battle-axe and bow and arrow, as well as firearms. "It gave us a bunch of gear that maybe wouldn't be appropriate for an English or French person in this setting," Hutchinson says.

About the heritage of Connor and Aveline, who happen to cross paths in Liberation, he adds, "it just puts your brain in a different space of not just, 'When are we?' but 'Who are we?' What would this person do in this situation?"And:A new lead character and new entry point could be driving interest in the game, Gies says. "I think the Revolutionary War setting is going to get an awful lot of attention, and initially could lead to great sales."

The franchise is popular enough that a live-action movie is in the works. "It's clear Ubisoft has a hit series in its portfolio," says Dan Hsu, GamesBeat editor-in-chief for VentureBeat.com. "Assassin's Creed is an ideal marriage of a great, marketable name, iconic imagery with its mysterious and cloaked protagonists, and a made-for-gamers theme. Who wouldn't think it's cool to be an assassin?"‘Assassin’s Creed III’: A Critical Success, and a Cultural MilestoneThe high marks for the game, both as a game and as a window onto history, make clear what many Native gamers and moviegoers have thought all along: That it’s possible to make good entertainment without dragging out the same tired stereotypes.

And perhaps abandoning those stereotypes is one of the touches that is the difference between a good game and a great one.

Could we see more game manufacturers looking to explore producing Indian titles with an authentic feel? Todd Martens thinks so—as he writes in his review for the L.A. Times, “this game makes it clear that there’s plenty of rich Native American gaming story lines yet to create.”Comment:  There have been mainstream movies and documentaries that weren't "pandering or offensive." And video games games that starred Native characters. So Assassin's Creed III isn't anything new in that regard.

But it's notable for showing how a Native-themed entertainment product can succeed. It's a big-budget affair that respects cultural and historic accuracy. And it's getting a big marketing push from Ubisoft.

If someone put that much money into a Native superhero, sci-fi, or thriller adventure, it also would succeed. That's how you do it folks: write a good accessible story, give it an authentic look and feel, and pay close attention to details.

For more on Assassin's Creed 3, see Assassin's Creed 3's Mohawk Origin and Assassin's Creed 3's Native Heritage.

Pope canonizes Kateri Tekakwitha

Pope names first Native American saint

Kateri Tekakwitha among seven new saints celebrated by crowd of 80,000 in St Peter's SquareEighty thousand pilgrims, many in flowered lei, feathered headdresses and other traditional attire, gathered in St Peter's Square on Sunday as the pope added seven more saints to the Catholic roster in an attempt to reinvigorate the faith in parts of the world where it is lagging. One of the seven, Kateri Tekakwitha, will be the first Native American saint to be canonised.

In his homily, Benedict praised each of the seven as heroic and courageous examples for the church, calling Kateri an inspiration to indigenous faithful across North America. "May the witness of these new saints … speak today to the whole church, and may their intercession strengthen and sustain her in her mission to proclaim the gospel to the whole world," he said.

The celebrations began at dawn, with Native Americans in beaded and feathered headdresses and leather-fringed tunics singing songs to the beat of drums. Later, the crowds cheered as the pope read out the names of each of the new saints in Latin and declared that they were worthy of veneration by the entire church. Prayers were read out in Mohawk and Cebuano, the dialect of another saint, Pedro Calungsod, a 17th-century Filipino teenage martyr, and in English by a nun wearing a lei.

"It's so nice to see God showing all the flavours of the world," said Gene Caldwell, a Native American member of the Menominee reservation in Neopit, Wisconsin, who attended with his wife, Linda. "The Native Americans are enthralled" to have Kateri canonised, he said.Pope names first Native American saint

Pope Canonizes 7 Saints, Including 2 Women With New York Ties

Comment:  For more on Kateri Tekakwitha, see Indians Attend Vatican Canonization and Americans, Canadians Spar Over Kateri.

Assassin's Creed 3's Mohawk origin

Assassin’s Creed III’s Native American Hero Had A Very Hard Life

By Evan NarcisseThis teaser for Assassin’s Creed III is different from the blitz of video we’ve been getting as the threequel nears release. In the clip, you see a bit of Connor’s life from before he became an Assassin. The scenes of him running through the forest look beautiful but get harshly contrasted when he comes home and find his village and loved ones burning to the ground.

Those moments really drive home how Connor is a different type of lead character for the next Assassin’s Creed. He doesn’t come from a life of ease like Ezio and wasn’t born into the Assassin’s order like Altair. And the fact that his catalyst for becoming an Assassin is tied into the tragic history of Native American in the United States will likely make his story more poignant.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Assassin Creed 3' Native Heritage and Video Game Features Mohawk Assassin.

NASA's Mohawk Guy

New geek chic: Mohawks in, pocket protectors out

By Seth Borenstein and Alicia ChangKnown to the Twitterverse and the president of the United States as "Mohawk Guy" of the Mars mission, Bobak Ferdowsi could be the changing public face of NASA and all of geekdom.

Ferdowsi, whose shaved scalp also features star shapes, is a flight director for the Mars rover Curiosity—a mission that captured the nation's imagination with its odds-defying, acrobatic landing.And:"You guys are a little cooler than you used to be," President Barack Obama said in a Monday congratulatory phone call to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Given Ferdowsi's success, Obama, a "Star Trek" fan, joked about the Mohawk and suggested he might try it: "I think that I'm going to go back to my team and see if it makes sense."

Mohawk Guy's Twitter followers have soared to more than 50,000. Over the weekend, he and the 49-year-old Steltzner appeared on NPR's game show, "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me." He's been doing Google+ hangouts. And, oh yes, he's gotten marriage proposals.

A brief history of the mohawk:

NASA’s ‘Mohawk Guy’ and 18 Other Famous Hairstyle AppropriatorsSo mainstream America has decided the mohawk is cool again. But does this hairstyle, other than its name, have anything to do with Mohawk Indians anymore? We asked Ray Cook, Mohawk, ICTMN’s opinions editor, who told us the traditional warrior’s hairstyle is better described as a “scalp lock.” “The Mohawk is known as scalp lock because it makes it very hard for an enemy to lift one’s hair for a trophy,” he says. “But, on a practical note—we are a woodland people, bugs and ticks like to hide in lots of hair, a scalp-lock frustrates them too.” Cook points to the paintings of Mohawk artist John Thomas as illustrations of the pre-Colonial Mohawk scalp lock.

It’s significant that the subject of the painting is a lacrosse player wearing a scalp lock—Cook says the haircut is “for those who do battle. Which today means athletes.” Wes Studi also wears a fairly authentic scalp lock as Magua in The Last of the Mohicans (and incidentally, in the UK, a mohawk haircut is known as a mohican):

The mohawk first gained popularity among non-Indians in modern times toward the end of World War II, when it was adopted by the “Filthy Thirteen,” a unit of the 101st Airborne Division—and yes, the inspiration for the highly fictionalized 1967 film The Dirty Dozen. Sergeant Jake McNiece of Ponca City, Oklahoma, who is said to be of Native heritage, started the trend—according to a news article from 1994, he joked that it was a Native tradition, but really wore the haircut for sanitary reasons. Some of the members of the Filthy Thirteen followed suit, and a photograph of two mohawk-ed paratroopers applying face paint before a mission was published in Stars & Stripes. But the practice was not widespread.

Jazz musician Sonny Rollins went through a mohawk phase. In 2009, Rollins told NPR that “[t]he mohawk was my attempt to pay homage to the Native Americans. There was a Native American guy that I know that used to come to see me when I was at the old Five Spot. … This was back in the ’50s. That sort of brought that to my attention.”
Comment:  The article continues with the most famous mohawk wearers, including Robert de Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver; Joe Strummer of The Clash; Wendy O. Williams, lead singer and personality of The Plasmatics; and of course Mr. T.

For more on the subject, see Seattle University's "Red(Mo)hawk" Promotion.

Below:  Wes Studi in Last of the Mohicans.

Assassin’s Creed 3's Native heritage

E3 2012: “Assassin’s Creed 3″ naval warfare is “a revelation” for Ubisoft

Ubisoft's next assassin game takes players back in time to the American Revolution

By Michael RougeauUbisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed” series has already gone places no other games have before, and now, in it’s third numbered entry, it’s doing it again. “Assassin’s Creed 3″ was one of the belles of this year’s E3 ball, and for good reason. Announced in February, the game is set in New York, Philadelphia and Boston before, during and after the American Revolution, or as creative director Alex Hutchinson calls it, the British Civil War.

“Until the end of the game, or the end of the revolution, they’re all British, you know what I mean?” he told IFC, laughing. “Everybody there is British. It’s a colony, you know what I mean? Like, that’s the whole point of it.”

The war, he meant—that’s the point of the war. But the war is not the point of “Assassin’s Creed 3.” This isn’t the only game to ever star a Native American. But Hutchinson and his teams at Ubisoft’s Montreal, Quebec City, Annecy, and Singapore studios are going to extra lengths to ensure that protagonist Ratohnhake:ton (or, by his English name, Connor Kenway) is an authentic representation of his people. They consulted with Native American advisors and hired a Native American voice actor to make sure everything from Connor’s speech to his gear is authentic.

The titular Assassin is always the heart of an “Assassin’s Creed” game. In the first game’s recreations of 12th century Damascus and Jerusalem, Altair introduced gamers to the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. In “Assassin’s Creed 2″ and its spin-offs, the noble Ezio explored 15th-century Italy and Constantinople. All of this was seen through the “genetic memories” of Desmond Miles, a modern-day Assassin whose importance escalates with every entry in the series.

The 18th-century British colony of America seems at first like the odd era out, but Hutchinson assured IFC that it would fit right in. “We’re not ‘The Patriot.’ The story is not the fight for the American Revolution. The American Revolution happens in the background while you’re going about your business with killing Templars,” Hutchinson said. “Trust us. We have a plan.”

It may use the Revolution as a backdrop for the Templar-Assassin war, but even that is just a lens through which to come to know Connor, who’ll kill Templars on both sides of the larger conflict. “Who is this guy? Why does he join the Assassins? Why does he even care about the American Revolution, you know? He’s a Native American. How does all this happen?” Hutchinson asked. “It’s a 30-year story from before, during, in, and after the revolution. And it’s kind of the story of his life.”Finding Connor: how 'Assassin's Creed 3' got its first colonial hero

By Emily GeraUbisoft started designing their next assassin behind closed doors three years before he reared his head in March, introduced in a teaser trailer that showed what the result of dozens of design plans and creative angst looked like in the light of day. Now when creative director Alexander Hutchinson meditates on the hardest part about making Assassin's Creed 3, he points a decisive finger right at Connor Kenway, the series' first colonial-age protagonist.

Those three years of development saw an influx of new ideas come to a rolling boil. Ubisoft would contemplate different kinds of Connors and test the waters with dozens of them. The team would assign him new outfits and character models. They would do this, and then they would systematically throw out almost every single one.

"There were over a dozen full versions of the costume, more for his face," Hutchinson tells Polygon, describing the process behind designing a new assassin.

"And we auditioned over one hundred actors for the role, and had long voice recording sessions to integrate into the game for five or six of them. We knew we wanted a new type of hero for the franchise, and we wanted to treat his heritage earnestly and seriously, and of course it needed to make sense in terms of the brand overall. All of that meant it was incredibly difficult."

Ubisoft closed the book on its Ezio narrative with the release of Assassin's Creed: Revelations last year, opening the series up for new blood to be inducted into the franchise as the game's new co-lead. Connor's design was broken into three parts before the studio finalized what eventually we've come to know through trailer footage. They would focus on the visuals, then they would analyze the core motivation of the character and finally chisel out the tone of his personality, tying the art style to the human being. The result was an excess in ideas, most of them wouldn't work, but for the team it would leave a deeper impression of what potentially could.

"For costume we tried a lot, but they seemed cheesy or inappropriate, until we realized that being an assassin is essentially a 'job' and you need to put on the right outfit, which may not necessarily reflect the characters heritage," Hutchinson said. "If I work in a bank, I wear a suit no matter where I'm from. That said we updated it with gear and little touches that Connor used to customize his suit.

"In terms of voice, we knew from day one the actor needed to be Native American but that it couldn't be a stereotypical voice. He needed to be a human being with foibles and problems, and we were very lucky to find Noah Watts, who has done a lot of TV work on shows like Sons of Anarchy and others, and is both a terrific actor and a great guy. He has a softer tone than previous assassins but he can be hard edged when we need it."Comment:  From what we can see of Connor's face, he looks Caucasian, not Native. But never mind.

For more on the subject, see Video Game Features Mohawk Assassin.

Mohawk ironworker caps Freedom Tower

Quebec Mohawk turns Freedom Tower into New York City’s tallest skyscraper

By Kim MackraelSteve Cross knew he was making history on Monday afternoon when he wriggled a bolt into place in the steel column that turned One World Trade Center into New York City’s tallest skyscraper.

The 36-year-old ironworker from the Kahnawake reserve in Quebec was just metres away from a cluster of reporters perched atop the building to capture the moment when it surpassed the height of the Empire State Building.

Mr. Cross is part of a long tradition of Mohawk skywalkers who have helped construct the buildings that punctuate the Manhattan skyline. His father, grandfather and both of his great-grandfathers all did the same work, and he installed the columns on Monday afternoon alongside his cousin, Adam, who is from the same reserve.

Dubbed Freedom Tower, the building is meant to replace the twin towers that were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001. After the addition of two steel columns on Monday, the tower’s skeleton stands slightly more than 381 metres high–just edging out the Empire State Building.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Mohawk Ironworkers Helped Build WTC and 9th Annual Ironworkers Festival.