Tyendinaga Mohawk fair rich in history

By Trish Allison

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territoy, ON (10/01/11) Five year old Emily rides the Jalopy Junction with brother, four year old Xander. Photo by Trish Allison

Muscle men, carnival rides and homemade goods came together for the Tyendinaga Mohawk Reservation’s annual fair, an event with a rich 112-year history.

It was a small gathering on a recent Saturday morning as the grey cloudy skies and frigid temperature kept some people away.

But those who came enjoyed everything the fair had to offer, which included a wide variety of vendors selling merchandise and homemade goods, a strong man competition, mini car show and various rides.

“It has been a proud part of the community for all those years, “ said Murray O’Coin, vice president of the Agricultural Society.

“It has been traditionally a time of celebrating the harvest and in later years when people started working off the reservation, it became a time of homecoming.”

O’coin said the fair was originally created to celebrate the efforts of the aboriginal people in the Tyendinaga community.

This was during a time when other fairs had become illegal due to government policies or were no longer practiced because they had been moved to other reservations.

“It was started as an answer by most of the people in the community that farmed, so it was put together at a time for people to celebrate what they could do with their hands,” said O’Coin.

To this day, that still remains an important aspect of what the fair brings each year. Some vendors brought the beauty of handcrafted jewelry, while others took their cooking talents and produced a variety of corn soups and other traditional native dishes.

There was even an indoor display of work from the students of Quinte Mohawk School (grades 1-3) inside the old school house on the out skirts of the fair grounds.

Along side the colourful art, across the way, through the unwelcoming cold, was a display of the local produce. Corn, squash, herbs, peppers, you name it, it was on display – including a 144 pound pumpkin which itself displayed a 1^st place ribbon.

The Mohawk Fair is a non-profit event – the only people who benefit are the people who choose to purchase a booth and sell their merchandise.

“Our Fair is community supported, which means what people pay [door price] goes directly into making sure the fair happens and the fair happens for next year,” said O’Coin.

The event is largely a family affair and O’Coin said that if it weren’t for the volunteers, much of the needed work and preparation would not be possible. He says they’re what make the weekend run smoothly.

And judging by the smiling faces and the line-ups at the food stands, it was yet another successful weekend for the Mohawk Fair.