Saturday, April 5 from 10:30 – Noon
at the Gideon Putnam, Saratoga Springs, NY
Presented by Kay Olan
Kay Olan will be sharing her story about how she, a Mohawk woman, became a Native American storyteller, why she tells the stories that come from her culture and what she has learned about sharing Native stories in a respectful way. She will tell stories that come from the oral tradition of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). Kay’s presentation will be followed by a brief Q & A.
About Kay:
Kay Olan (Ionataie:was) (Mohawk Nation, Wolf Clan) is a Mohawk educator and storyteller. She taught elementary school in New York State for over thirty-three years. During that time, she was often asked to tell the stories that were passed down through the oral tradition of her people and to give cultural presentations about the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) to various community, school and college groups. Upon retiring from teaching, she moved to Kanatsiohareke, a traditional Mohawk Community located in central New York State. She lived and worked there for almost three years coordinating and promoting culturally related conferences, lectures, workshops and programs including the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Language Immersion Program.
She appeared in the Iroquois segment of the documentary “How the West Was Lost” which aired on The Discovery Channel. She researched and documented Indian artifacts found in the Champlain Valley for the Clinton County Historical Society. Ms. Olan has worked as a consultant for the Iroquois Indian Museum. In 2009, The Indigenous Women’s Initiatives presented her with a “Jigonsaseh Women of Peace” award. She was honored in 2010 by the Association of Native Americans in the Hudson Valley for providing cultural bridges between Native and non-Native communities through her storytelling and cultural presentations. The Akwesasne Freedom School honored her in 2012 for her on-going help in promoting the school’s efforts to revitalize Mohawk language and culture. She has written articles about the Haudenosaunee for various publications including Indian Time and Indian Country Today. She recorded two cd’s, “Mohawk Stories” and “…And That’s How That Story Goes: Stories from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). Ms. Olan appeared in the Global Spirit Documentary called “Stories To Remember” and in the Documentary “Harvest”. She currently lives in upstate New York where she continues to share the culture and stories of the Haudenosaunee.