Host Tiokasin Ghosthorse talks with Fred Leonard, author of “Grandma’s Spirit Calling Us Home to Tyendinaga,” a book about his Tyendinaga Mohawk ancestors from the mid-1600s to the 1900s. Fred was born in 1969 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada (next door to Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory). He has lived in this area most of his life. Fred has helped with the marketing and promotion of two books: “And Grandma Said” by Mohawk elder Tom Porter and “What I Need To Leave Behind” by elder Betty Maracle. Fred has traveled across North America to meet and learn traditional knowledge, spirituality and history from many elders. He has done public speaking and is a social activist. Fred has worked on an environmental contaminants research project at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in association with Trent University. He has also worked for the environmental department for National Defense. For the past nine years, Fred has been running his own business.

Listen on Radio Kingston

Music selection

1. Song Title: Tahi Roots Mix (First Voices Radio Theme Song); Artist: Moana and the Moa Hunters; Album: Tahi (1993); Label: Southside Records (Australia and New Zealand) (00:00:44)

2. Song Title: The Cleansing; Artist: John Trudell; Album: Tribal Voice (1983); Label: Effective (00:28:40)

3. Song Title: The City: Grass and Concrete, Taxi to Brooklyn; Artist: Mark-Almond; Album: Speak Easy, It’s a Whiskey Scene (1971); Label: UMG Recordings, Inc. (00:35:05)

4. Song: ImagiNation (feat. David Strickland); Artist: ImagiNation (Q052 is a Mi'gmaq rapper from Gesgapegiag, Quebec. His collaborators are: Stun, David Strickland, Hyper-T, Will E. Skandalz, Wendego, Simon Nevin and Sensei H. They claim justice for Indigenous people.); Album: ImagiNation; Label: Musique Nomad (00:45:25)

4. Song Title:  Voice of Earth; Producer: NASA; Album: NASA Space Sounds (2015); Label: NASA (00:52:16)

5. Song Title: Change on the Rise; Artist: Avi Kaplan; EP: I’ll Get By (2019); Label: Fantasy Records (00:54:40)