Akwesasne Family Prompts for Traditional Name Recognition

AKWESASNE — Following the traditional practice of naming using the Mohawk language for herself and her children, Sheree Bonaparte of the Akwesasne community is prompting recognition to traditional names within the Ontario and Quebec governments and the unwillingness to allow the application to receive a registered birth certificate without a first and last name.

The traditional giving of a name to an individual in Haudenosaunee culture is both a spiritual and connecting process, by which the individual receives a single name with a powerful meaning that is traditionally thought to embody the personality or hold the purpose of life intended for the owner.

Many continue to practice the giving of traditional names, but the Akwesasne community in particular provides a “Mohawk Nation Certificate of Birth.” However, these certificates are not recognized by the HRSDC since 2001, as Bonaparte’s family has been denied by the Ontario Registrar since 1995.

“Surnames have been forced on Native people for two hundred years but it was not always that way. Our records show that my ancestors were known by only their Kanien’kehaka names. Surnames were used for the convenience and practices of non-native peoples, not our people. The use of surnames followed the male line and had a rippling social effect on the status of women by undermining our natural place as keepers of the homeland and family. Attitudes toward women changed. I respect my father and the surname he carries, but with his blessing and support I will not continue such a fundamental change to our traditional naming practice by picking up a surname,” wrote Bonaparte’s daughter under her traditional name “Ienonhkwa’tsheriiostha” in an article published online by Indian Time.

“Section 10 of the Vital Statistics Act of Ontario imposes a discriminatory burden on me by forcing me to discard my identity as a Mohawk person and adopt a first name and surname contrary to my traditional beliefs, customs and practices as a member of the Mohawk/Kanienkehaka Nation. People from other nationalities are not asked to set aside their identity in order to obtain a birth registration,” wrote Ienonhkwa’tsheriiostha.

Living without a recognized birth certificate allowed them to “fly under the radar” until 2001, after precautions toward terrorism rose. The Akwesasne community is cut in half by the Canadian and United States border, without a SIN number and if the requirements to cross the border become stricter, Bonaparte and her family will not be able to even navigate through her home community without bending to the demands to accept a first and last name without change. In support of their cause, the Akwesasne Freedom School is open to receive donations, and the Mohawk Nation Longhouse will be holding a social on August 1 at 7 pm In Akwesasne.

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