Caption: PRX default Piece image
PRX default Piece image 

Skywalkers of Akwesane

Series: A Sense of Place: Third Season
From: Helen Borten
Length: 00:29:20

How the dangerous skill of high steel became a rite of passage for a Mohawk tribe. Read the full description.
${title}
To hear the full audio, sign up for a free PRX account or log in.

More from Helen Borten

Piece image

Convicting Chevie Kehoe (00:59:26)
From: Helen Borten

A new inquiry into a notorious murder case that asks: Were the wrong men convicted of this crime?
Caption: PRX default Piece image

Georgia Market Bulletin (00:28:59)
From: Helen Borten

A chronicle of rural life in Georgia unfolds between the lines of a farmers' newspaper.
Caption: PRX default Piece image

Laugh Tracks Part One and Part Two (00:29:27)
From: Helen Borten

Two parts, each 28:58 minutes. A one-hour celebration of ethnic humor.
Caption: PRX default Piece image

Nancarrow and the Player Piano (00:29:31)
From: Helen Borten

The life and work of a renegade composer who blazed a trail to the future by using an instrument that sounded like the past.
Caption: PRX default Piece image

Stranger in Paradise (00:29:25)
From: Helen Borten

The strange life and haunting work of outside artist Achilles Rizzoli.
Caption: PRX default Piece image

In Love with the Mob (00:29:28)
From: Helen Borten

One hundred years of mob rule in Youngstown, Ohio.
Caption: PRX default Piece image

Love and War (00:28:56)
From: Helen Borten

Professional soldiers in Fort Benning, Georgia talk of the challenges facing themselves and their families as they prepare to go to war. Produced in 2002 as these soldiers ...
Caption: Me in Montana

Fly Fishing in Montana (00:30:01)
From: Helen Borten

An ancient pastime explored in the lives, lore and literature of anglers.
Piece image

The Silent Generation: From Saipan to Tokyo (00:58:53)
From: Helen Borten

The final year of World War II in the Pacific, told by men who came back and kept silent about the harrowing ordeal that changed their lives.
Caption: PRX default Piece image

House of the Lord (00:29:33)
From: Helen Borten

The history of a black church on an antebellum plantation and how it was saved from destruction.

Piece Description

For over a hundred years the Mohawks of Akwesasne, a reservation on the New York-Canada border, pursued the occupation of ironworkers, one of the most dangerous jobs in construction. Mohawks were on the high steel crews of every bridge and skyscraper in Manhattan, commuting between job and their 12-hour-distant home every weekend, and became famous for their skill, daring and major contribution to the skyline of New York. This is the story of men plying a difficult craft in the modern world while cleaving to tribal customs in an ancient world -- a balancing act that has taken its toll in lives and relationships. An honest, intimate and informative portrait of an unusual occupation and the Native Americans who made it their own.

2 Comments Atom Feed

User image

Review of Skywalkers of Akwesane

Mohawk Indian culture at work in the big city. A sound-rich documentary about people whose roots are in the earth, working hundreds of feet in the air.

An interesting view of how a native culture adapted and made a unique contribution to modern society. An insight into the personalities and motivation of those who chose to risk their lives for the thrill and high pay of steelworking.

Interesting, sound-rich piece. Well recorded and narrated. Production values live up to the best of public radio.

Early in the piece I felt it could use better setup, putting the piece into context. As with most good documentary work, it built steam and drew me in as I stayed with the story.

Not for background listening. Take a half hour and enjoy a glimpse of a world most of us will never experience!

This would be a good special for Labor Day but useable any time, especially for stations that serve major cities.

Caption: PRX default User image

Review of Skywalkers of Akwesane

I found this to be a wonderful program -- I hung on every word. For me, it hits the right notes on all of the PRPD "Core Values" -- and leaves a lingering feeling of awe, respect and sympathy for the Skywalkers and their families.