Deer set to hit the ground running in new position

For Tehosterihens Deer, taking on the role of public relations specialist - political - previously called the press attache position - for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) is not just about taking on a new professional challenge, it’s about being back home after years of working as a journalist outside the territory.

“I’ve been away for a couple years. When I was in university, sure you’d come back every couple weeks, but it’s not really the same. You come back, and a lot’s changed. Then you also go work in the city, you come back at night, you feel a little disconnected,” said Deer.

“So, I feel this helps, on a personal level, to reconnect, not only the roots, but also just with people that I haven’t seen in years.”

His path in journalism includes as a summer student right here at The Eastern Door, followed by studying journalism at Syracuse University, a stint at CBC Nova Scotia, an internship with Dateline NBC, and until very recently, 16 months on-screen for City News Montreal.

He feels his experience will be beneficial to the job, taking knowledge and bringing it back to his home.

“The old school saying, where you go out to hunt to bring something back for the community. In this case, I go out on the outside, gain all the experience and knowledge and tools that I can gather, come back and bring it, not only for the organization, but for the community too,” said Deer.

It was while working on a story for City TV that he found out he’d been hired.

His cameraman at the time was the only person he worked with who knew that he had applied for the position at MCK. While preparing to film, he got the call from MCK.

“I remember, I looked up at my cameraman, and he looked at me, and he gave me a look like ‘is that them?’ And I nodded yeah, and then I hung up, and he just gave me a hug, because he was very happy,” said Deer.

So was Deer, naturally.

“I was ecstatic. I was shell-shocked, too. It was almost like one of those moments where you feel like you’re dreaming, and it’s all white and hazy. Is this real?” said Deer.

“This opportunity here is ginormous. It’s huge, not only just for myself, but also for the community.”

He said while he’s still in the early stages of learning what the job will be like for him, having started his training on September 29, he already knows some of the things he wants to focus on.

“My goal is to not only just re-establish relationships, but also just continue ongoing communication,” said Deer, adding that that means for local media as well as the community at large.

“Sometimes you hear people say, there’s a lack of communication, or maybe gaps. I want to help fill those.”

Deer said he knows he has big shoes to fill, those of Joe Delaronde, who retired from the position in 2023 after two decades doing communications for council.

“Joe Delaronde, he’s a pioneer in our community,” said Deer.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fill those shoes. My goal is to just take the initial vision from that and make it into my own while also making sure that the community’s needs and general concerns are always at the forefront.”

Delaronde, for his part, thinks Deer is the perfect person for the job.

“He’s the right guy for the job. I’m 100 percent convinced of this,” said Delaronde, citing his experience in journalism, his education, and his youthful energy as big advantages for Deer.

Delaronde said there are a few important things he learned on the job that he hopes Deer will keep in mind.

“Transparency is very important in Kahnawake. You have to understand that the media has a job to do. They’re not the enemy,” said Delaronde.

“The job never slows down. And, like any job, you need to be really comfortable with what you do.”

Another aspect of it was the importance of mixed mediums of messaging, to make sure to cover all the bases that community members could see an important message.

“The worst thing you hear is anybody saying they didn’t hear about something,” said Delaronde.

Justus Polson-Lahache, the MCK’s director of public relations, is also convinced they made the right call with Deer.

“Tehosterihens was really the perfect candidate,” said Polson-Lahache.

“I think he is really going to elevate the function of that job.”

He said his first assignment, a video with grand chief Cody Diabo published on Facebook on October 2, was the first sign of where the job should be going moving forward.

“It was really well taken by the community. People were happy to see that kind of recording. I think he’s going to elevate the job a lot, and he’s already showing that overall,” said Polson-Lahache.

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