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The podcast episode "Crash Course on Mohawk Ironworkers" explores the often overlooked contributions of Mohawk people to ironworking. It discusses their introduction to the craft, their work in New York, and their involvement in the construction of the World Trade Center. The hosts use a lighthearted and informative approach, incorporating pop culture references and personal anecdotes. The podcast aims to educate listeners about Indigenous contributions to Canada in an engaging manner. It emphasizes the importance of understanding and appreciating cultural differences while finding common ground. Overall, the hosts highly recommend the podcast for its informative and enjoyable content. Contribution after contribution of the Indigenous peoples to the Canada we know today often goes overlooked and unappreciated, so take a moment to look and appreciate it. I'm Sophie Monod. And I'm David Larson. Welcome to Two People, Two Podcasts, where we share our thoughts on a podcast through just that, another podcast. We bring this podcast to you from the land of the Chippewas of Georgina Island and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, we're going to give you a quick overview of the podcast episode of The Secret Lives of Canada, hosted by Leah Simone Bowen from Eglinton, Alberta, and Phelan Johnson from the Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario. Leah Simone is a first-generation Canadian whose roots are in Barbados, and Phelan Johnson is of the Haudenosaunee peoples, more specifically the Mohawk and Tuscarora. The episode is called Crash Course on Mohawk Ironworkers. It tells the history of the often overlooked major contributions to ironworking through a light-hearted back-and-forth convo between the two hosts. It goes over how the Mohawk people began their legacy in ironworking, their health and recovery after 9-11, and much more through some classic Indigenous storytelling. We're going to touch on the interesting points brought up, the style of the podcast, what we liked best, what we learned, and whether or not we would recommend it. Stay tuned. So, in Crash Course on Mohawk Ironworkers, they start with the beginning, how the Mohawk people were introduced to ironworking. They talk about how in 1886, the Canadian Pacific Railroad was planning to construct a bridge across St. Lawrence River, which is right by the Kahnawake Reserve Land, so they offered the Mohawks living there some jobs as ironworkers. They use an ethos appeal by using a great quote from one of the Mohawk supervisors' amazement in their skill. Here's a quote. Riveting is a type of ironwork technique which welds together two metals, and at the time, it was very unsafe to do. In some cases, they would be untied at the top of bridges riveting away. Note the mention of how riveting is often a deterrent from ironworking, since it's But the Mohawk people weren't fazed. There seemed to be a sort of connection to the craft, and that they worked with fierce skill with a lack of fear. Totally seems like a special connection with the craft. They even mention that famous picture of the ironworkers eating lunch on the top of the bridge, and that it's likely a bunch of them were Mohawks. I really like that they did that. Yeah, me too. I found throughout the podcast they mentioned little pop culture jokes like that that felt both lighthearted and informative. I found it was a nice way to take in information. For me too. I'm still not over how they just picked up the craft though. The way Leah, Simone, and Phelan talk about it, it seems second nature to them. I totally agree. And it's interesting too, since it's not really something you hear often. Never have I ever heard of ironworking being a big thing within the Mohawk community. It's cool to learn about. And although I'm sure there were issues with the non-Indigenous ironworkers they worked with, I'm sure there were also some pleasant interactions between the two, and it's nice to think about the common ground being found in a kind of unexpected area. Yeah, right? Who would have thought that ironworking would be an area where white people and Mohawks were brought together? Odd, but also cool. Super cool. What else is cool is that they talk about the boom in Mohawk ironworkers in the early 1900s. You know, since New York was having a cultural boom, it meant construction needed to happen, which put a huge call for ironworkers in the big city. And the Mohawks answered. The Mohawk people were working really hard in New York. We still have evidence of that today. In the podcast I mentioned, a sign up in a bar in New York that reads, The greatest ironworkers in the world pass through these doors. Referring to the Mohawk people. I think that's a great path of settlement they included. When they were talking about it, I felt the proudness that the Mohawk people must have felt, and the appreciation of the community for their work. And they really were working hard. They were putting up huge buildings like the Empire State Building, the George Washington Bridge, and the World Trade Center. I thought the conversation they had about the World Trade Center was really interesting. Yeah, it was. They mentioned how when 9-11 happened, since the Mohawks had greatly contributed to the building of it, they wanted to help clear the rubble and rebuild it. The way they talked about it had a bit of a pathos element to me. How they phrased it made me feel that connection to their work, and the strength of the community to bend together and help in the recovery of the strategy. I totally agree. I feel pathos was a common element throughout the podcast. I mean, it was pretty lighthearted for the most part, but there were times when they were talking about the 1907 bridge collapse in Quebec that killed some of their workers, including Mohawks, where I really felt that the pathos element was coming through. Oh, me too. They talked about the families left at home and how the wives were trying to keep their husbands' homes safe after the incident. And it really put into context how dangerous this kind of work could be. Yeah. To me, they had great delivery in this podcast. They shared their information in a kind of back-and-forth skit format, which I found really engaging. I really liked that. It made it feel like it wasn't a podcast, but a show or something like that. It was super engaging. They mostly maintained that kind of skit feeling throughout the podcast. And what I appreciated most about it was that I didn't feel that it gave away from the information being shared. Right? This was a super informative podcast, but it didn't feel like the way educational podcasts often do. It didn't feel heavy or hard to take in. I only really realized how much I learned at the end. And I think that's the true goal of this podcast. The goal is to educate without the listeners needing that mental effort it often takes to process and truly take in information. I think this really comes through in the way they physically deliver the content. And their tone of voice and the laughing and the dramatic pauses, it all makes it feel easier to consume. Yeah, I really enjoyed that aspect of it. They had amazing delivery and great chemistry together. Right? It's about a 10-minute podcast, but that time flew by from the delivery. And yet, I think I retained most of the information after just the first listen. Very true. I think I learned more than it felt like I did. I mean, it really gets you thinking about all the big and small contributions the Indigenous peoples as a whole have contributed to Canada. I believe there's an article in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that kind of relates to this. It's article number five. Indigenous people have the right to self-governance and maintenance of their current institutions while also participating in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the state. I think it relates back to more of the second half of the article about participating in the state. I think that's super important for us to understand the cultural differences between all the people in Canada and have our own separate spaces, but also have spaces to be together as a whole community. I mean, it's kind of like what we were talking about earlier about the white people and the Mohawks bonding through ironworking and finding common ground. Totally. I think we just really see the importance of Indigenous people getting opportunities to be a part of the general Canadian society, and that through that, we'll find pleasant connections on common ground. Just like the sign above the bar saying the Mohawks were the best ironworkers to walk this earth. Yep, just like the sign. Alright, so I guess we're pretty much ready to wrap this thing up. Yeah, I mean, I think you guys can tell from the way we talked about this podcast that we really enjoyed it. Really enjoyed it. And we would totally recommend checking it out. It's lighthearted, it's informative, it's got a great flow, although I must say, I think it's also important to keep in mind the four R's of becoming story-ready, specifically responsibility. It is our responsibility to share these stories and these histories because when it comes down to it, it's not just Indigenous history, it's Canadian history and the general population should know. So go on and take a listen, and we'll see you next time on Two People, Two Podcasts. Thank you for listening and learning with us. We hope you check out The Secret Life of Canada. Have a lovely day! Bye!