36 Views Of Ononta'kahrhon: Bennetthill

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

"Because God's grace has spilled over into our lives..." By Mark W. Ó Brien

"Because God's grace has spilled over into our lives..."

I dreamed I found the Seanchaithe's buried treasure and hoarded bequests in my mind brimming with the light of great stories. Inside my head I stood beside Ononta'kahrhon as nightfall arose from an expanding afternoon. Suddenly, I knew I must pour this light out like a bucket of sunset upon the heads of my children's children. The light, of memories of a future far away place in June. The light of an unexpected fire that I drew on a chalkboard, as an apprehensive child, when I looked out the window 'til the window disappeared...

It was a good dream,
I saw my dark haired grandchild
climbing up your hill!

About this blog:

For years I have been taking pictures of the Mountain/Hill that dwarfs the little hamlet in which I live. To date I have taken hundreds of images.

From my limited knowledge of Mohawk I have created a new name for Bennett Hill. I have done so because after taking hundreds of photographs of it, living in its presence for years, I have a fondness for and a curtain reverence of it that the current name does not impart or embody for me.

Because this was once Mahican land that was lost to the Mohawks after their war in the 1600s local indigenous names for locations are few. What there are are descriptive names given by the Mohawks when transacting the locations sale on documents such as the Slingerlands Patent for the purpose of indicating boundaries.

At some point over the years the outline and shape began to resemble the Haudenosaunee invention of a craddleboard to me. So, following the formula indicated on the Slingerlands patent I have researched, found and created what I feel to be an expectable and useable Haudenosaunee compound word that I have begun to refer to it as.

From Ononta: meaning Hill and Kahrhon: meaning Craddleboard: I grammatically gathered the two as a compound Mohawk word creating: Ononta'kahrhon. Meaning: Craddleboard Hill.

Pronounced: Ononta-kahr-hon.

This idea was inspired by the work of Katsushika Hokusai's woodcut series "36 Views Of Mount Fiji." I would like at some point in the near future to collect 36 of the best captures in a short run hand bound Art quality book entitled: "36 views of Ononta'kahrhon." (Craddleboard Hill.)

The format will be 71/2 x 14 perfect bound with a photo on the right and a Haibun on the left facing page. I would like to have 36 of photos and 36 Haibuns by various poets to accompany these photos.

Mark~