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Mohawk Ironworkers, Walking High Steel

The Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the George Washington Bridge, the World Trade Center. For more than 120 years, six generations of Mohawk Indian ironworkers, known for their ability to work high steel, have helped shape New York City's skyline. Each week, hundreds of Mohawks have commuted to Manhattan from their reservation in Canada, framing the city's skyscrapers and bridges. In September 2001, after the fall of the Trade Center Towers, the sons and nephews of these men returned to the site to dismantle what their elders had helped to build. The story is part of the series Lost and Found Sound and the Sonic Memorial Project.

Produced by Jamie York and The Kitchen Sisters. (Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson) Mixed by Jim McKee at Earwax in San Francisco. Thanks to Lynne Beauvais, K103 Kahnawake, Kanien'kehaka Onkwawen:na Raotitiohkwa, National Museum of the American Indian, Elinoar Astrinsky, Elana Berkowitz, City Lore, Tony Field, Andy Lanset, Sound Portraits, Paula Mauro, Jeffrey Jay Foxx, Mike Swamp and Picture Projects.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.