New York City at night ca. 1935, National Archives

Many people are unaware that Native Americans, and specifically the Mohawks, are skilled ironworkers who have built most of the New York City skyscrapers.

Flatiron Building under construction 1902 (National Archives)

The tradition began in 1886 when a Canadian company was building a bridge over the St. Lawrence River, located near a Mohawk reservation close to the city of Montreal. The company hired some Indian day laborers, and discovered the men had an apparent lack of fear of heights. So they trained them as riveters.

Indians employed in construction of the Hoover Dam as high scalers

The Mohawks began building more and more bridges, then branched out into skyscrapers, and have become a fixture of New York City construction building ever since. Mohawk ironworkers played a huge role in building the World Trade Center.

Construction of Empire State Building, 1930, by Lewis Hine (National Archives) I don’t think he’s Indian, but it’s such a cool picture I posted it anyway.

Do Mohawks really have no fear of heights, as many of their employers believe? Possibly, and it may also be true that they have a better general sense of balance than most people. But pursuing this daring profession could also be part of the culture. It’s cool and macho—part of the warrior ethos—to walk along narrow beams 600 feet in the air. Here’s a quote from one Mohawk construction worker, which was part of a Smithsonian exhibit:

A lot of people think Mohawks aren’t afraid of heights; that’s not true. We have as much fear as the next guy. The difference is that we deal with it better. We also have the experience of the old timers to follow and the responsibility to lead the younger guys. There’s pride in “walking iron.”

—Kyle Karonhiaktatie Beauvais (Mohawk, Kahnawake)