High steel and corn meal : recounting an era : the Mohawk ironworker community in Brooklyn.

Summary: An afternoon of storytelling at the American Indian Community House. By the 1950s over 700 Mohawk ironworkers and their families were living in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn, New York which they called downtown Kahnawake after a reservations in upstate New York. For years the Mohawks commuted between their reservations in upstate New York and Canada and Brooklyn until many grew weary and permanently moved to Brooklyn. Their community flourished with help from local merchants who began catering to their needs. Dr. David Munroe Corey, the pastor of the Cuyler Presbyterian Church, opened his church to support community activities. He attracted worshipers by delivering services in Mohawk once a month, and in 1939, with the help of two parishioners, translated a hymnal into Mohawk. This appears to be the first time Native people had a community located in a specific neighborhood in New York City. The American Indian Community House (AICH) is an urban Indian center that services the needs of the Native people living in New York City and welcomes Native visitors to the city. AICH was founded in 1969 and has become a de facto neighborhood serving as a meeting place for the diverse Native community of the New York City area. The Community House offers a variety of services ranging from substance abuse and HIV counseling, to career assistance. It is also home to the only Indian owned and operated art gallery in New York City. The AICHs Performing Arts Department has become an important resource for Native visual and performance artists. Through its programming, performance has become an important educational vehicle, both for the Native and non-Native NY

Summary: community. The Badger's Corner, initiated in the 1980s, is an education-via-entertainment vehicle for the AICHs visual and performing arts department programs. Taking its name from the Pueblo legend of the four-legged creature who led the Pueblo people out of the underworld after the great flood, the intent of its programming is to inform and challenge people to rethink their concept(s) of Native American people and customs. All performances at AICH are presented under the auspices of the Badgers Corner. Indian Summer is an annual event at AICH and an occasion for artists to present their latest works to the community and the general public. All performers, whether new to the field or veteran practitioners, are encouraged to present their work.

Credits: American Indian Community House, producer ; City Lore, producer ; Jim Cyrus, introducer ; Ben Salazar, introducer ; Louis Mofsie, moderator.

Credits: Muriel Miguel, Verlain White, Lorraine Canoe, Joe Deer, Louis Brook, Julius Cook, Agnes Sylvestre, Percy Ortiz, Shaun Finnerty, participants.