New Mohawk superhero asks, what if the Haudenosaunee were never colonized?
Many Mohawk people are raving about Marvel's new superhero, Kahhori. MCU introduced her on their animated show, "What If..." that reimagines big events from the Marvel Universe. Kahhori is from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Folks who attended a recent screening said she's is a hero for generations of Mohawks.
Dozens of people mill in the foyer of Montreal’s Cinema Cineplex Forum movie theater before showtime. They snap photos on a small red carpet with the Marvel Studios backdrop.
Doug George-Kanentiio is Mohawk. Marvel hired him to do historical consultation. It was a long back and forth going over and over every detail.
"But they were faithful and they were steady and they were completely committed to treating us with the greatest respect," said George-Kanentiio. "And I’ve been involved with some film projects before and this is the first time we’ve had that degree of cooperation. First time."
"There’s such an opportunity in animation that we can control literally everything that gets on screen. There’s not a rock on that screen that we don’t put there," said Ryan Litte, head writer on the show.
Marvel wanted an indigenous hero but didn’t know where to start, Litte said. He went to a mentor who he knew worked closely with the Haudenosaunee, including George-Kanentiio and his late wife, singer-songwriter, Joanne Shenandoah.
"So we knew when it came to their clothes, their skin tone, their tattoos, everything could be as authentic as they wanted it to be," said Little.
Indigenous people are central to the story and production. The episode is almost entirely in the Mohawk language. George-Kanentiio says Mohawk people translated, advised and voiced the entire thing.
"It'll show when people see this. It’ll show," George-Kanentiio said. "I’m hoping it will show such impeccable standards of storytelling of Native people that people will take this as the prototype, but nobody has seen it yet! It’s truly a surprise!"
Folks grab popcorn and find their seats. The lights go dark.
Our hero, Kahhori lives in the pre-colonial Adirondacks when Spaniards arrive and enslave her community. She discovers her power and leads the Sky Road people to fight, free her people, and invade Queen Isabella’s court, smashing her throne, and demanding peace.
As the credits roll, Agnes “Sweets” Jacobs tears up. She’s a subchief of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and says the story is an alternative history for her people.
"'What if?' That’s what I was thinking of. What if we didn’t welcome them? What if we sent them back to where they came from? What if we still lived in peace and harmony and took care of the earth the way we're supposed to?"
The meaning of this episode is personal for Millie King, too. She smiles and crinkles her popcorn bag.
"I loved it so much. I’m real proud of my grandmother. My Tota."
Her grandmother, Cecelia King, translated the episode.
"I've enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed the ride. I’ve never done anything like this before," King said.
King taught the Mohawk language at the St. Regis Mohawk school.
"It came easy to me, I guess," said King.
Now Millie is following her path. She catches her grandmother’s eye across the theater and beams.
"I love seeing the culture and language. I could actually understand it, too. First time seeing something I could actually understand."
She also loved hearing the music from Bear Fox and Shenandoah, who worked on the episode before she passed in 2021.
King’s other granddaughter, Jade Gabri, says she hopes non-Native viewers will learn from Kahhori to see the natural world as relatives rather than extractive resources.
"To see the power that Kahhori holds, it’s all part of that spiritual relationship with a lot of things," said Gabri. "That she has that power for their people and that recognition for her people and to stand up for them."
She was struck by the message of staying your course and the power of each individual.
More of King’s kids and grandkids gather around her.
Her nephew, Arihhonni David asks her to sign a piece of bright blue Kahhori fan art he made.
"We’re all the same clan! We’re the same clan as Kahhori! We were freaking out about that!" he said.
David writes books based on Haudenosaunee legends, "Who Will Win?" He flew in from Santa Fe just for this pre-screening.
"Even just the symbology in the episode, I could see us in the episode. It's really powerful to see," said David. "For my siblings to grow up with this, it just hits me in the chest because when I was a kid, I had 'Indian in the Cupboard," a movie filled with triggering scenes and ethnic slurs.
"The fact that we’re here at one of the highest stages: Disney. As a representative of the nation, it’s really heartening to see that it’s just us. She’s powerful. She’s independent. She's her own. I’m aghast."
"I loved it! Awesome! It’s just amazing. Just amazing in every way," said his brother, Tahawennothakie David.
He's eight years old and a diehard Marvel fan, though Arihhonni wishes he liked Star Wars more. He loves Spiderman, but he says Kahhori might be his favorite now.
"Are you gonna draw her when you get home?"
"Yeah! I’m gonna draw Kahhori. Maybe not tonight because it's pretty late," said Tahawennothakie.
Their sister, Tsiakoseriio says hearing the Mohawk language on screen "filled her heart."
"It felt like home!"
"The teasing and everything in the episode was so nice!" said Arihonni.
Finally, they say, a Native character, a hero, that’s just like us.
