Kanienkehaka national meeting called in Akwesasne

The Kanienkehaka

Nation have called for a nation-wide meeting for all Kanienkeha across all Haudenosaunee territories to come to Akwesasne to discuss matters of governance.

Tehonwakanerehn spoke to TRT and said the meeting would discuss the people taking back the Kanienkehaka name, instead of being referred to as community Mohawks — and discussing nation governance in light of various community groups, councils and organizations across all the territories who are claiming to speak on behalf of all Mohawk people and their rights.

Tehonwakanerehn said the meeting would directly address issues like the Mohawk Council of Akwe- sasne, Saint Regis Tribe, Nation Longhouse and affiliates from other communities like the Haudenosaunee Development Institute reaching to settle land claims on behalf of the Kanienkehaka.

The Meeting is open to all Kanienkeha people and will be held March 4 at 9:00 a.m. at the longhouse beside Wild Bills’ store in Hogansburg, NY on the states side of Akwesasne.

Exciting Job Opportunity for Publishing Coordinator

Company: Turtle’s Back Publishing, a division of the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition (ONLC)

Department: Turtle’s Back Publishing (TBP)

Reporting To: ONLC CEO

Status: 12-month contract (Training April 2023-August 2023)

Location: Ontario Native Literacy Coalition , P.O. Box 550, suite 407 16 Sunrise Court Ohsweken, ON N0A 1M0

The Publishing Coordinator is responsible for providing a wide range of administrative duties for Turtle’s Back Publishing, ONLC This is a training role, where the Publishing Coordinator will be trained for five months to take over the lead position of Turtle’s Back Publishing team, authors, and illustrators TBP/ONLC are an Indigenous lead organization.

Responsibilities:

• Through training and understanding of metadata and cataloguing data onto online Book Onix platform Biblioshare.

• Assist in inventory responsibilities and InFl ow software. Filling book orders and creating invoices.

• Assist in minor edits to reprints using Adobe programs (InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat). Understanding print specifications of publications and communication with printers.

• Marketing efforts to expand reach of publications and other resources and develop new initiatives to increase revenue and impact of Tu rtle’s Back Publishing resources.

• Copy editing of manuscripts, using the knowledge of the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF), for all levels of adult learners.

• Draft meeting notes and other reports as needed.

• Pull detailed data for reports on milestones, deadlines, and progress; assist with synthesizing and comparing data as needed.

• Participate in editorial conference calls and cal ls with vendors relating to editorial projects.

• Serve as the publications department’s liaison to the custo mer, which may require answering phone calls and responding to emails from customers on a daily basis Provide assistance to TBP team as needed to support strategy and growth.

• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Specific training or job experience required includes:

• Undergraduate degree preferably in English or Communications;

• Interest in the publishing industry ;

• A willingness to gain progressive experience in process and system development and business planning;

• Demonstrated decision-making, planning, organizational and time management skills;

• Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills; Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving skills;

• Strong written and proofreading skills;

#407-16 Sunrise Court, Ohsweken, ON N0A 1M0 www.onlc.ca Tel 519 445 1539 Toll Free 1.855.368 3072 (within Ontario) Fax 519.668.6653

• Ability to synthesize and condense information into concise accessible language;

• Preference will be given to Indigenous Applicants.

Interested Applicants can apply with resume and cover letter up until 4pm March 10, 2023 to:

TBP Publishing Coordinator Ontario Native Literacy Coalition P.O. Box 550 Ohsweken, ON N0A 1M0

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

For some, videos games are an escape, for others, a sense

JACE KOBLUN jace@tworowtimes.com

TWO ROW TIMES

Being part of community gives us a sense of belonging. Giving us space to support and encourage each other's growth often based on mutually enjoyed activities.

Many LGBTQ+ individuals have experienced difficulty finding community where they feel welcomed and excepted. Gaymer, a blend of the words “gay” and “gamer,” is an umbrella term for people in video gaming who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer within the community.

“A community can be anything from a physical place where geographically people connect, or via a virtual space such as social media groups or private community platforms,” says wellbeingpeople. com. “Communities bring like-minded people together with similar characteristics and common interests.”

The video game industry was booming in the 2000s with the release of the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox, but gaming competitions and award shows were made up mainly of straight men. Even meeting a female gamer was still not the norm. Gay characters in video games often hit several gay stereotypes at once or were considered the comic relief of a series. Videos games could be a world for LGBTQ+ individuals to escape to but seeing themselves in a world they loved was uncommon.

But that is no longer the case as queer representation in video games has exploded in the last number of years and the gayming community is putting on more award shows, tournaments, and events. Game developers have included more LGBTQ+ characters in their games like Chloe from Life is Strange, Trevor Phillips from GTA V, Ellie from The Last of Us, and Birdetta from Mario Bros.

“Birdetta is honoured to be the first trans character in Nintendo history. The Super Mario Bros 2 instruction manual described her as a boy who thinks he’s a girl,” says ugami.com

Studies show that being a part of shared space, whether virtual or physical, helps people be inspired, joke, talk about frustrations, solve problems and celebrate achievements. Your strengths in an area may be someone else’s weakness and someone else’s strengths may help you in an area you are weak in.

“People who stay within a community are the ones that agree passionately with its values and with these shared beliefs, trust and togetherness, there’s no limit to what they can do for their community. Bringing together like-minded people who are headed for the same goal undoubtedly, nurtures a rewarding and engaging community,” says wellbeingpeople.com.

It’s not to say that the video game world is free of all bigotry and homophobia. Homophobic slurs have been common insults during online matches of Call of Duty and many other games since online gaming picked up in the early 2000s. But with North America and other parts of the world celebrating the success of things such as Ru Paul’s Drag Race, more LGBTQ+ movie stars and performers, and other pop culture, the community has seen a shift.

Playing video games with fellow gaymers can also help you destress in a safe place if there are a lot of stressors in your life out of your control.

“For many people, the world of video games is a perfect break from a reality