FROM THE “FIRST VOICES RADIO” ARCHIVE. Host Tiokasin Ghosthorse talked with Rick Hill Sr., a citizen of the Beaver Clan of the Tuscarora Nation of the Haudenosaunee at Grand River. Rick holds a Master’s Degree in American Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is the former Assistant Director for Public Programs, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution; Museum Director, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM; and Assistant Professor, Native American Studies, SUNY Buffalo. He formerly served as Senior Project Coordinator of the Deyohahá:ge: Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic Institute, Ohsweken, Ontario. Rick is an interpretive specialist to develop exhibitions for the recently renovated Mohawk Institute, the oldest Indian residential school in Canada. He is the Indigenous Innovation Specialist at Mohawk College in Hamilton and serves as a Cultural Advisor to FNTI in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.

Tiokasin and Rick talk about the changes the U.S. Constitution and its state at the time and the original intention and lived experience of the Haudenosaunee Confederation. Their conversation, although it took place a number of years ago is still extremely relevant to today. “Right now, this country is in a state of change and what I believe were sacred to the leaders, the founding [colonial] fathers were these ideals and the laws that they did to come up with a partnership with the Native nations, is being ignored by this current generation of Americans. I think that we have to look back at that these were seriously sacred promises, legal promises made, and if you abuse the First People of the land, how do you really expect your great-grandchildren to grow up and be able to celebrate democracy that you herald? It’s really about justice. I always say the Indians are the miners canary of American justice. How America treats the Native people, it’s going to symbolic of what is forthcoming as to how they’re going to treat the rest of the people.” — Rick Hill

Production Credits:
Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Lakota), Host and Executive Producer
Liz Hill (Red Lake Ojibwe), Producer
Karen Martinez (Mayan), Studio Engineer, Radio Kingston
Kevin Richardson, Podcast Editor

Music Selections:
1. Song Title: Tahi Roots Mix (First Voices Radio Theme Song) 
Artist: Moana and the Moa Hunters 
Album: Tahi (1993) 
Label: Southside Records (Australia and New Zealand) 

2. Song Title: Hoka Hey 
Artist: N/A 
Album: N/A 
Label: N/A 

3. Song Title: The Path (feat. Jeremy Koz) 
Artist: Vince Fontaine’s Indian City 
Album: Code Red (2021) 
Label: Rising Sun Productions, Inc., Winnipeg, MB, Canada 

4. Song Title: After the Gold Rush 
Artist: Katie Pruitt 
Album: Ohio / After the Gold Rush (2020) 
Label: Rounder Records 

AKANTU INTELLIGENCE
Visit Akantu Intelligence, an institute that Tiokasin founded with a mission of contextualizing original wisdom for troubled times. Go to https://akantuintelligence.org to find out more and consider joining his Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/Ghosthorse