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The Power and Beauty of Niagara Falls
More than a tourist spot
There is a Kanienke:ha (Mohawk) name for Niagara Falls. It is Ohnia:kara, meaning “the great serpent”. Perhaps this refers to how the river “snakes” its way through the gorge. It could also be referring to events long past and the stories that come through the ages, the popular being “Maid of the Mist”.
Known as the honeymoon capital of the world it is nearly overshadowed by the glare of giant LED casino lighting and billboards. At the height of the season, one can hardly move for crowds of tourists laden with everything from cameras to candy floss.
Those of us who stem from Haudenoshaunee origins have a relationship with the Niagara region and the falls that goes far beyond tourism. It is a part of the original territory and gathering place of the Neutral, Erie, Wyandot, and confederacy of tribes now known as Six Nations. Until reservoirs were built in 1957 sturgeon were still plentiful in river providing a great food source.
Ours is a political relationship as most of our people spent years in exile at Fort Niagara after our original homelands were given by the British to the Americans in the Treaty of Paris 1784 and ending the Revolutionary War.
