Tiokasin speaks to two guests from Friends of the Akwesasne Freedom School in Akwesasne, NY.

Alvera Sargent is Snipe Clan of the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne, a mother of two, and grandmother to four amazing grandchildren. Alvera has worked with the Akwesasne Freedom School (AFS) since 1997 in various capacities until 2007. At that point, she moved on to manage the Friends of the Akwesasne Freedom School, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring a prosperous future for the students of the AFS. She has worked to revitalize our Kanienkeha (Mohawk) language and culture. The Friends of the Akwesasne Freedom School staff are currently overseeing a new 15,000 square-foot building for the students and staff of the AFS. The opening is tentatively scheduled for September 2024.

Waylon Cook from Akwesasne, is Wolf Clan of the Mohawk Nation. He is a graduate of a 2-year Kanien’keha Mohawk Immersion Language program and has been a lifelong learner of the Mohawk language. Upon graduating, Waylon was able to teach at the Akwesasne Freedom School to continue passing on language and culture to future generations. He currently works with the Friends of the Akwesasne Freedom School to help ensure the revitalization of the Mohawk language and culture. His team is currently working towards the completion of a new school building so that Akwesasne Freedom School students have a healthy learning environment for generations to come. Waylon has dedicated his career to culture and language revitalization efforts and continue to work towards reversing the effects of colonialism to the Mohawk culture and language.

Production Credits:
Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Lakota), Host and Executive Producer
Liz Hill (Red Lake Ojibwe), Producer
Karen Martinez (Mayan), Studio Engineer, Radio Kingston
Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Audio Editor
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: Fallen Angel (feat. Peter Gabriel)
Artist: Robbie Robertson
CD: Robbie Robertson (1987)
Label: Geffen Records

3. Song Title: Change on the Rise
Artist: Avi Kaplan
EP: I’ll Get By (2019)
Label: Fantasy Records

4. Spoken Word: Jehan - Change of Becoming
Background Music: “Momentum” with Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Dave Eggars, Charley Buckland and Jujuba
CD: “Akantu - The Origin Series” (2021)
Label: Ghosthorse

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

What I did when taking a break became more exhausting than working