Original Peoples Ongwehonwe Productions

There is a lack of Indigenous representation and voices in digital media exposing a vital need for Indigenous content, representation, and storytelling for the exchange and sharing of cultural knowledge, teaching practices, and authentic conversations with and between community members. Haudenosaunee and Indigenous peoples belong to distinct tribal nations that have been shaped by resistance and resilience. 

As a result of colonization, boarding schools, Christian indoctrination, and cultural genocide, Haudenosaunee traditional knowledge has been acutely disrupted resulting in cultural degradation, high rates of substance abuse, suicide, low self-esteem, and physical and mental health issues within our communities.

It is through the sharing of traditional Haudenosaunee knowledge and authentic Indigenous representation that our communities can heal, strengthen, and continue to share the message of peace in relation to each other and the natural world. 

Digital storytelling through the Original Peoples Ongwehonwe podcasts and videography provides a platform to meet our youth where they are by providing accessible Haudenosaunee teachings, knowledge based learning through an Indigenous lens. Thereby ensuring the perpetuation of culture and self determination by accessing and utilizing media platforms readily available to Haudenosaunee young people and adults living on and off tribal lands.

The Original Peoples Ongwehonwe Productions will create space and a platform of thought and exchange where Indigenous voices are amplified, and knowledge holders are invited to share cultural teachings and stories which then develops a new generation of Haudenosaunee knowledge holders. Perpetuating Haudenosaunee oral tradition and Indigenous self-actualization can be accomplished by knowledge sharing through podcasts, videography, reels, social media, virtual meeting platforms and other digital forms. These resources will be available to stream and be accessible online along with cataloged material that support a methodology of three ways of knowing and understanding Haudenosaunee Culture (oral, written, and archeological sources), thus providing a place for further investigation, open for debate and to broaden understandings. 

Podcasts and videography through an Indigenous lens will share stories and cultural teachings featuring Haudenosaunee and Indigenous peoples, reminding our neighbors that we as a people are resilient, resourceful, and adaptable. the Ongwehonwe (Original) People are not relegated to history books, we are contemporary, we are real, and we are present. Through podcasts and videography listeners/viewer will connect to Indigenous culture and be introduced to networks of Native people engaging in exciting and innovative means of defining Traditional Practices and Teachings. Haudenosaunee and Indigenous youth will learn how Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island navigate the world we share and how they combine traditional teachings and practices along with western notions of Science, Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM.)  This will allow them to envision themselves in broad and diverse fields as they see representation in all walks of life; Artists, Activists, Agriculturalists, Athletes, Musicians, Entrepreneurs, Academics, Science and Technology, Health and Human Services, and more. Through self-actualization, Haudenosaunee and Indigenous young people will become connected to the world as future leaders and stewards of the Earth.

The Original Peoples Ongwehonwe Productions focuses on benefitting Haudenosaunee communities first, and more broadly all Indigenous peoples. Locally we aim to serve - Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora Nations. This includes Haudenosaunee people living on and off territories across North America including the Seneca territories at Tonawanda, Allegany and Cattaraugus  (NYS/US), Oneida Nation (NYS/US), Oneida Nation (WI/US), Oneida Nation of the Thames (CA), Onondaga Nation (US) Mohawk territory in Akwesasne (US & Canada), Six Nations of the Grand River (Canada), Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory (Canada), Kahnawa:ke Mohawk Territory (Canada), Kanein:ke (NYS/US), and Tuscarora Indian Reservation (US).  Our reach will include Haudenosaunee community members living on and off tribal lands and will benefit Indigenous and First Nations people who live within the United States and Canada. 

The Original Peoples Ongwehonwe Productions podcasts, videography and digital media grows and develops broader Indigenous community self esteem as accessibility to first person story-telling opens a space for Indigenous peoples to share their journeys of self-actualization and resiliency. Oftentimes, these stories challenge the western ideals of competition, consumerism and capitalism as to become Indigenized, one must learn to actualize by recognizing their place, role and responsibilities within nature. Indigenous representation and voices are paramount in instilling a sense of worth and value within young people who may struggle with identity, mental health and well-being. Listeners and viewers will be confronted with traditional values and teachings centered around traditional and contemporary thoughts relating to the current world. Young people will learn that their culture is important and is valued, in a world that too often tells them the opposite. For non-Indigenous peoples, this digital platform will provide vital accurate Indigenous representation, so that they can have an informed Indigenous World view and understand that we are still here and thriving.

I'm a member of the Seneca Nation, Wolf Clan I was fortunate enough to grow up with a father active in the Longhouse tradition as a Faith keeper. I grew up having access to Haudenosaunee Elders, culture bearers, language speakers and educators, historians, anthropologist, artists, activists, medicine botanists, agriculturists, hunters, athletes, and others. I have connections within the Haudenosaunee growing up at Ohi:yo (Allegany Seneca Nation and at Ganondagan. As a father of four children living away from our community I am interested in creating a space where my children can gain access to a broad spectrum of cultural practitioners and teachers. I feel it is important that my children are afforded the opportunity to learn about traditional practices and teachings as a way to bring balance to their lives, the outside is motivated by competition and capitalism as opposed to living in harmony with the natural world and seeing objects and species as relatives and not commodities. 

My experience supporting the Haudenosaunee and Indigenous communities includes my role as the former Executive Director for the Haudenosaunee Nationals, the only Indigenous lacrosse team to compete on an international level. I worked with athletes under 19 years of age, from Haudenosaunee and Indigenous communities helping them grow and develop culturally and as athletes. I witnessed a limited amount of cultural knowledge and understanding beyond their identity as a lacrosse player. I worked to instill cultural knowledge and pride, helping them understand sovereignty and traditional Haudenosaunee values. As a team we traveled under our own Haudenosaunee passports in the face of tremendous adversity. 

As the Director of Akwe:kon (All of Us) house at Cornell University, the first university residence hall in the dedicated to celebrate North American Indigenous Heritage, I worked to help students navigate academia through cultural programming centered around Haudenosaunee and Indigenous teachings. I helped to introduce students to culture and provided opportunities to deepen their understanding, serving as a bridge. Many students did not grow up on Native territories and for those that did, many did not experience cultural teachings. 

Currently I serve as Cultural Liaison at Ganondagan continuing the work of supporting Haudenosaunee and Indigenous communities, developing, and sharing resources, connecting community folks with cultural resources, and programming to deepen their cultural knowledge. Realizing the benefits of  digital communications, social media, podcasts, and social platforms I am  provide access and accessibility for those living on reservation or off territory. As a result of cultural genocide and the effects of residential boarding schools many Haudenosaunee and Indigenous peoples have not grown-up learning about their culture. For many, this is a source of shame. Having the opportunity to access cultural teachings through podcasts, videography and digital media challenges the gatekeepers and allows for an inclusive way to access one's cultural knowledge. We have strong ties to Ganondagan State Historic Site, Rochester Museum and Science Center, Seneca Nations of Indians, and other Haudenosaunee communities. These relationships provide access to Haudenosaunee traditional and cultural knowledge, material culture and primary source materials. 

Currently the Original Peoples Podcast Ongwehonwe has 38 episodes with approximately 700 followers focusing on Haudenosaunee teachings, Indigenous traditional and pop culture, Indigenous artists, performers, and others taking Haudenosaunee/Indigenous peoples out of history books and contemporizing Indigenous voices through the arts, language, sports, culture, history, and traditions. More than 50 videos/short documentaries with 1.84K followers have been created sharing Haudenosaunee culture, values, traditions, and contemporary life. Through an Indigenous lens, Haudenosaunee artists, culture bearers, knowledge keepers, performers, re-enactors, and others share about history, culture, traditions, cooking, food systems, language, sovereignty, traditional and contemporary arts, music, sports, and dance. 

Funding and thought partners are needed to take Original Peoples Ongwehonwe Productions to the next level. We want to expand Indigenous voices and storytelling through community outreach by identifying Indigenous community partners that can help engage young people who could become content creators as interviewers, videographers, editors and storytellers. Tapping into young perspectives will open up and guide the creative process of creating new ways to make cultural teachings accessible and engaging. This then creates a generation of new perspectives and curiosities that can then shape and create innovative ways of learning and sharing Indigenous knowledge. 

We envision a youth component, directly mentoring Haudenosaunee youth, having them take the lead researching, developing questions, interviewing contemporaries, learning technical aspects of creating podcasts, videography and other expressive forms of digital content. We want to encourage young people to utilize Zoom, Microsoft Teams and/or other virtual meeting platforms to  connect with Indigenous youth and peoples across the country and beyond borders to exchange information, ideas and thoughts. The goal is to grow and create global connections informed by Indigenous culture, tradition and practices.

Seneca and Haudenosaunee principles are informed by the Gayaneshä’go:wa:h (Great Law of Peace) which encourages; Sgëno, Ga’hasdehshä, and Ga’nigöiyo:h (Peace, Power and the Good-Mind) which directly align with Solve's initiative of building a more sustainable, peaceful, and equitable future for all. The Seventh-Generation philosophy takes into consideration those who are not yet born but will inherit the world, considering how present-day decisions will impact descendants. We are taught to respect the world as we are borrowing it from future generations. Keeping Haudenosaunee cultural practices and languages alive is essential, language and culture have been significantly altered and threatened through colonization and yet the people still remain resilient and driven to thrive. Haudenosaunee people are here today, reclaiming their cultural traditions and still practicing their ways and finding new ways to share and grow the culture. This is a result of over 500 years of resiliency, resourcefulness, innovation, and adaptability. As we look to our future, we know that it is by embracing and innovating through technology that we will reach our younger generation, serve our community living across Turtle Island and ensure the continuation of our cultural traditions and values. Haudenosaunee/Indigenous values offer a counter perspective and world-view that aims to avoid ecological and societal down-fall. A generational knowledge gap exists and threatens the continuation of certain teachings and practices. Our Solve solution is an innovative intergenerational knowledge driven use of technology and resources from an Indigenous perspective for Native peoples, who reside both on and off territory, understanding that living on territory doesn't automatically mean you are culturally aware and connected to your community.  Through Indigenous voices controlling the narratives and correcting historical wrongs, providing access through a digital format we create an equitable space where Indigenous peoples have access to authentic cultural teachings and the resources to investigate, debate, and challenge traditional academic research. 

I am Onödowá'ga:' a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, Wolf Clan. I grew up at Ohi:yo Seneca Allegany territory. My upbringing was rooted in the Longhouse tradition. I spent my formative years living at Ganondagan, in Victor, NY, the site of a 17th Century Seneca town and a thriving agricultural village, where there once was 150 Seneca Bark Longhouses and over 4500 Seneca people who lived peacefully there almost 350 years ago. Growing up I was surrounded by culture bearers and knowledge keepers. I had and continue to have access to Seneca elders, culture bearers, Haudenosaunee knowledge keepers, Indigenous anthropologist, activists, athletes, philosophers, artists, botanists, and language speakers. I continue to have deep connections within the Seneca and Haudenosaunee communities as well as strong relationships with Indigenous peoples globally including communities in Central and South America and the Māori communities of New Zealand.

The use of digital media, podcasts, videography, social media and Reels, is a new approach to thinking about how we can preserve and perpetuate Indigenous Story telling. I believe that mentoring young people, second language learners and others interested in preserving Indigenous culture now have accessible platforms that allows them to become content creators. Something as simple as a cellphone now creates a space where people can interact and engage with cultural teachings and practices. I think that finding new ways to meet young people where they are at will help open up the thinking around what it means to learn about culture and tell stories. Podcasts, videography and Reels will help preserve the culture for future generations. My goal is to create an online digital primary resource bank that is accessible and easy to navigate so that intergenerational learners will have access to the "Three Ways of Knowing" which includes; the oral tradition, the written historical record, and the archaeological material culture. I want to partner with language and cultural programs on Native territories to help establish recording studios where podcasts and videos can be created. Technology is ever growing and young people in particular tend find news ways to be innovative and creative, we want to empower them to find ways to capture and develop new means of transmitting cultural teachings, practices, storytelling and language learning. We will partner with the remaining culture bearers that we have living in our communities and find ways to learn and grow together.

I believe that we are at a critical moment in the history of Haudenosaunee people, every year we are losing more and more of the culture. We are down to only a few first language speakers, we do have people who have worked and studied hard to become proficient in the language however once we lose our first language speakers we lose their insight and their world views. We need to create ways for young people to interact with the culture digitally as that is the realm that they tend to engage with information. We need to provide platforms for culture bearers to share their information broadly, create podcasts and videos that can be preserved for future generations. I think that our young people are the answer to solving these challenging issues and they just need the guidance, equipment and time to spend with the culture and people that can teach them. Reels, Social Media, Tik-Tok and cellphones are basic forms of communication and are easily accessible to capture and create content. We can utilize theses means however we also need to step deeper in the the realm of digital media and content making. We need podcast studios, video equipment, laptops, editing software and the know how to ask questions and construct and tell stories. All of this can be solved by myself and other like minded community members with the support of the MIT Solve grant. It is not often that Indigenous peoples are partnering with Tier 1 research institutions to find ways to preserve and retain culture. This partnership will be a good first step in that direction and will create new opportunities and pathways to discover the resources and partnerships that exist outside of the world. I currently host the Original Peoples Podcast on Spotify and the episodes that I have produced that relate to culture are by far the most listened to and shared. This brought me to the realization that we need to grow and create more content creators. We need to help young people find their voice and find new questions to ask. We are losing our culture daily, this SOLVE solution of discovering and growing new content creators is going to help us capture what is still remaining and ensure that we have stories to share for future generations and the faces unborn.

I believe that might impact goals are to establish and mentor young people within our Haudenosaunee communities to help them create their own studio spaces that will help them become content creators on their own. Workshops and teach-in's will be used as we will be partnering with community organizations that work with young people, language learners and others working in cultural practices. I have a podcast called the Original Peoples Podcast on Spotify and I can review the analytics to each of the episodes I have posted, by far the most listened to episodes have been the one's that speak to cultural practices and teachings. The podcasts can be listened to on road trips and while doing work around the house, people are able to go back and re-listen to sections, I have had so much positive feedback on those episodes that it leads me to want to continue to create, but I more importantly want to grow and help develop new voices. There's a real lack of Indigenoues representation in digitial media and I believe that access to proper equipment and training is a huge barrier. We need to provide space and access to the tools to become storytellers, interviewers, videographers and content creators. We want to create spaces of intergenerational learners and creators that have the sensibilities to capture and create compelling stories for future generations to learn from. These stories and the content created can be used to educate Indigenous people as well as non-indigenous communities as we can control the narrative and provide first person accounts on what it is to be an Indigenous Person in a modern world. Indigenous culture touches on so many subjects including, Arts, Science, Agriculture, Medicine, Well-being, Athletics, Activism, Conservation and Resource Protections. We need story tellers and content creators to share out what we know and to find ways to create and develop partnerships with like-minded allys.

Digital media, Cellphones, Ipads, Laptops, Apps, Websites, podcasting, videography, social media, Zoom, Reels, Tik-tok, YouTube, Software, any and all easily accessible platforms that can help create and capture content. 

Currently we are situated in the ancestral territory of the Seneca people, we partner and have ties to each of the Haudenosaunee territories within the United States and Canada.

The Original Peoples Ongwehonwe Productions focuses on benefitting Haudenosaunee communities first and more broadly all Indigenous peoples. Locally we aim to serve - Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora Nations. This includes Haudenosaunee people living on and off territories across North America  including the Seneca territories at Tonawanda, Allegany and Cattaraugus  (NYS/US), Oneida Nation (NYS/US), Oneida Nation (WI/US), Oneida Nation of the Thames (CA), Onondaga Nation (US) Mohawk territory in Akwesasne (US & Canada), Six Nations of the Grand River (Canada), Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory (Canada), Kahnawa:ke Mohawk Territory (Canada), Kanein:ke (NYS/US), and Tuscarora Indian Reservation (US).  Our reach will include Haudenosaunee community members living on and off tribal lands and will benefit Indigenous and First Nations people who live within the United States and Canada.

We aim to serve - Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora Nations. This includes Haudenosaunee people living on and off territories across North America  including the Seneca territories at Tonawanda, Allegany and Cattaraugus  (NYS/US), Oneida Nation (NYS/US), Oneida Nation (WI/US), Oneida Nation of the Thames (CA), Onondaga Nation (US) Mohawk territory in Akwesasne (US & Canada), Six Nations of the Grand River (Canada), Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory (Canada), Kahnawa:ke Mohawk Territory (Canada), Kanein:ke (NYS/US), and Tuscarora Indian Reservation (US).  Our reach will include Haudenosaunee community members living on and off tribal lands and will benefit Indigenous and First Nations people who live within the United States and Canada. 

Currently my team is Myself Ansley Jemison

Editor: F. Paul Yorio

The Friends of Ganondagan 501c3: Meg Joseph, Jeanette Jemison

Staff at Ganondagan State Historic Site: 

Director Michael Galban

Kristin Asche, Cole Reuben, Kalen Fontenelle

and many community partners and departments within the Haudenosaunee Territories.

This is my third year of being a content creator and this is the first time I am applying for a grant to grow this pilot program.

We have predominantly Indigenous contributors to our content creation and we have several non-Indigenous partners and volunteers. 

Our goals are to preserve and create equitable and just content, that can be utilized and accessed by community members, non-indigenous educators and institutions of learning. We aim to create robust storytelling and capture of traditional practices, teachings and knowledge to be available for future generations.

We believe in democratizing information and culture through honest and accurate story telling, informed by the three ways of knowing and the guided by the Haudenosaunee principles are informed by the Gayaneshä’go:wa:h (Great Law of Peace) which encourages; Sgëno, Ga’hasdehshä, and Ga’nigöiyo:h (Peace, Power and the Good-Mind) which directly align with Solve's initiative of building a more sustainable, peaceful, and equitable future for all. The Seventh-Generation philosophy takes into consideration those who are not yet born but will inherit the world, considering how present-day decisions will impact descendants. We are taught to respect the world as we are borrowing it from future generations. Keeping Haudenosaunee cultural practices and languages alive is essential, language and culture have been significantly altered and threatened through colonization and yet the people still remain resilient and driven to thrive.

The Original Peoples Ongwehonwe Productions will create space and a platform of thought and exchange where Indigenous voices are amplified, and knowledge holders are invited to share cultural teachings and stories which then develops a new generation of Haudenosaunee knowledge holders. Perpetuating Haudenosaunee oral tradition and Indigenous self-actualization can be accomplished by knowledge sharing through podcasts, videography, reels, social media, virtual meeting platforms and other digital forms. These resources will be available to stream and be accessible online along with cataloged material that support a methodology of three ways of knowing and understanding Haudenosaunee Culture (oral, written, and archeological sources), thus providing a place for further investigation, open for debate and to broaden understandings.

Currently I am doing all of this on a shoe string budget through the support of the Friends of Ganondagan, my primary costs have been the costs of editing and purchasing of equipment. The Friends of Ganondagan are a 501c3 non-profit organization and they are able to assist in the costs for editing primarily. I have purchased most of the equipment I use on my own. It has not been a cheap endeavor however I have tried to find an purchase as much used equipment as possible. This has made this project possible. I am dedicated and committed to finding ways to make equipment accessible to our partnering Indigenous Communities. Partnering with MIT Solve will hopefully help me find other financial contributors and partners.