Kanièn:ke Karonwarà:ke
Mohawk Territory on the Internet
“No Iroquois chief would listen to a messenger or pay attention to a report until he received
official information through a runner who carried the proper wampum string or belt.
Wampum guaranteed a message or a promise.
Treaties meant nothing unless they were accompanied by wampum.”
Tehanetorens
Wampum Belts of the Iroquois
Kwe kwe!
She:kon! Wa’tkwanonhwerá:ton!
| My name is
Darren Bonaparte and I am from the Mohawk community of Ahkwesáhsne on
the St. Lawrence River. I’m not so much a
historian as a historical journalist—someone trying to get to the truth
about history rather than bore you to tears with the trivia of
it. Mohawk history is an awesome subject, and I’m not just saying
that because I’m a Mohawk, or because I flunked Mohawk math and
science. I created the
Wampum Chronicles website in 1999 as a way of promoting
my research into the history and culture of the Rotinonhsión:ni—the
People of the Longhouse. Around this
time I began to make wampum belt reproductions and used them in
presentations I gave at schools, colleges, conferences and festivals
throughout the US and Canada. I must have done a half decent job
of it, because in 2003 I was asked to serve as a historical advisor for
a PBS documentary about the French and Indian War. I have been
involved with several other TV projects since then.
In 2006, I published my first solo book project, Creation & Confederation: The Living History of the Iroquois, which was the result of my research into the many published versions of the traditional creation story and the Peacemaker legend, the two “epics” of Rotinonhsión:ni culture. In 2009, I published the follow-up, A Lily Among Thorns: The Mohawk Repatriation of Káteri Tekahkwí:tha. This was a study of European contact and colonization at the Eastern Door of the Longhouse that culminated with the life of Káteri Tekahkwí:tha, the Lily of the Mohawks. To celebrate the Wampum Chronicles’ tenth year online, I thought I would strip it down and give it a new coat of paint. I’ve created a few new pages to promote some of my projects, and have revamped a few of the existing pages so that they’re a little easier on the eyes. The old homepage and its Atari Space Invaders look is history! Darren Bonaparte August, 2009 |
The Wampum Chronicles offers you a glimpse into history with a recreated 18th century treaty council,
complete with 18 wampum belt reproductions that tell the story of the Mohawk Nation.
I have been doing these living history presentations for over a decade and see no reason to slow down now.
To arrange a visit of the Wampum Chronicles to your school, college, or special event,
scroll down to the bottom of this page and jot down the email address you see listed there.
Send me an email but please write PRESENTATION in the heading to make sure I see it.
Then go to the pay phone at 3rd and Main and await my call.
The Wampum Chronicles is now a publishing empire! When you’re named Bonaparte, empires just go with the territory.
My books are a natural extension of the Wampum Chronicles style: an all-out cage match with Mohawk history.
Those looking for a feel-good romp through the daisy fields of yesteryear should probably look elsewhere.
Click on the icons below to read more about the books and how to buy them online, in stores, or by mail order.
 |
 A Lily Among Thorns The Mohawk Repatriation of Káteri Tekahkwí:tha |
Cesare di Bonesana Beccaria once said, “Happy is the nation without a history.” Oops! My bad! I went and gave my nation a history.
While I’m busy wondering how on earth I will ever make this up to everyone, feel free to sit back and read some of the materials
I’ve accumulated here at the Wampum Chronicles for the last ten years. I’m in the process of cleaning up the older pages
to make them easier for you to read on your BlackBerry as you drive.
The Rotinonhsón:ni Through the Eyes of
Teharonhia:wako and Sawiskera
by Brian Rice
Too Many Chiefs, Not Enough Indians
The History of the Three Chief System
and the Constitution of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
by Darren Bonaparte
Recent Articles
St. Regis Mission Established 250 Years Ago This Year
The “Boundaries” of the St. Regis Mission
The First Families of Akwesasne
The Darkest Day in Mohawk History
“…To Smoke the Pipe of Peace…”
“Burying the Hatchet” at the Treaty of Kahnawake
Was Akwesasne’s “Burnt Church” a Sacrifice to Peace?
Louis Cook: A French and Indian Warrior
Louis Cook: A “Colonel” of Truth?
Colonel Louis at Oriskany and Valley Forge
The Missions of Atiatonharongwen
Eleazer Williams: The Lost Mohawk
The Unquiet Rest of Eleazer Williams
A “Jake Ice” for the American Side of Akwesasne
Mohawks Know the Dark Side of Bridges
The Healing Powers of the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Old News Clippings Document “Mohawk” Political Revival
The St. Regis Mohawk School and the Cultural Revival of 1937
Akwesasne’s First Newspaper and the “Return” to Traditional Government
The Two Row Wampum Belt: An Akwesasne Tradition
The Covenant Chain of Peace and Friendship Returns to Akwesasne
Nia:wen ko:wa, Tehanetorens: Akwesasne Remembers Ray Fadden
Earlier Research
Land Where the Partridge Drums: A History of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation
Kaniatarowanenneh: River of the Iroquois
The Seven Nations Of Canada: The Other Iroquois Confederacy
The History Of Akwesasne: From Pre-Contact To Modern Times
The History of the St. Regis Catholic Church & the Early Pastors
A Gift to the Seventh Generation: The Legacy of Kanonsase
Saiowisakeron: The Jake Ice Story
Sakaronhiokeweh: A Tribute to a Mohawk Wampum Belt Maker
The Huron Gift to Kahnawake
The Evergrowing Tree Belt
The Atotarho Belt
