Coming Home
Indians who live in cities seek out other Indians and wonder what is going on back home
Tom Cook
About Tom Cook
Thomas Cook is a Wolf Clan Mohawk Indian, from the Kahnawake Reserve, near Montreal. Mr. Cook spent five years in New York, working as a high altitude structural iron worker. He is now a field coordinator for Pine Ridge Reservation and feels that it is very difficult to improve conditions on the Reservation without employment opportunities.
Tribal Affiliation
Mohawk
Hometown
Chadron, Nebraska
Region
Great Plains
VIDEO CLIPS
Lacrosse
The best lacrosse players become the best iron workers
Leadership
Leadership in iron working is similar to leadership in all of indian society
Preservation
Preserving, protecting, and defending good water
Robe
An elder who has earned respect through a long marriage and a life well-lived in his community
Symbols
Symbols assumed to be Christian can also have meaning in other cultures
Tradition
Traditions are passed from generation to generation through family interactions
Weather
Fewer family home gardens due to climate change
Work
Mohawk Iron Workers have an “altitude of mind”
World Trade Center
Treated well in iron-working based on a good reputation in the trade