Date of Award
2005
Degree Name
History
College
College of Liberal Arts
Type of Degree
M.A.
Document Type
Thesis
First Advisor
Kat Williams
Second Advisor
Dan Holbrook
Third Advisor
David Duke
Abstract
This analysis provides a better understanding of how members of the Mohawk tribe strived to maintain their cultural and gender identity within a white male-dominated high steel industry. This thesis examines traditional Mohawk warrior culture, meaning traditional Mohawk rites of passage and Mohawk male gender roles, through analyzing the role of Mohawk skywalkers in the late 19th and early 20th century. In tribal Mohawk society, the passage from adolescence to manhood was representative of a boy becoming a warrior. By exhibiting bravery, he earned the title of warrior and, consistent with his new tribal stature, increased his chances at marriage and acceptance as a leader. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Mohawk boys entered manhood by becoming skywalkers. Whether it was a boy’s acceptance into a riveting gang, or a war party, a boy’s passage to manhood was complete.
Subject
Mohawk Indians - Rites and ceremonies
Recommended Citation
Curtis, Anthony Patrick, "Warriors of the Skyline : A Gendered Study of Mohawk Warrior Culture" (2005). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. 52.
https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/52
