The Friends of the Byway had a most memorable meeting with Stephanie
Bandosik of Foxy Trot Dance. Two take-aways: There is no doubt that The Peacemaker, who unified the Iroquois Confederacy, was tested at Cohoes Falls and the so-called Mohawk haircut says “I am not myself” and “I have lost my connection with The Creator, but there is hope.”
Stephanie Bandosik telling the oral histories of the Mohawk Valley. Photo by Richard Yacco.
The name “Mohawk” comes from Algonquin-speaking neighbors (then enemies) of the Kenien’ke:ha who called them a pejorative term loosely translated to “bear people” which the Dutch misheard as Mohawk. Known for their fierceness, The Peacemaker decided to approach the Mohawk with his ideas first. In those days one did not walk into a neighboring village. You stayed at a distance and built a smokey fire. The village would send out a runner to investigate. The visitor would only enter the village after being invited. The Peacemaker, according to Mohawk history, was tested by surviving a trip or a plunge over the Cohoes Falls.
