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42°54′00″N 74°29′26″W / 42.9001345244652°N 74.49055019976284°W Kanatsiohareke ([ɡanaʔd͡ʒɔhaˈɽɛːkɛ]; Mohawk: Kana’tsioharé:ke, lit. 'place of the clean pot') is a small Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) community on the north bank of the Mohawk River, west of Fonda, New York in the traditional territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka. The name is derived from Canajoharie or "Upper Castle", one of the two major towns of the Mohawk nation in 1738.[1]
Kanatsiohareke was founded to be a "Carlisle Indian Boarding School in Reverse", and emphasizes teaching of Mohawk language and culture.[2] Located at the ancient homeland of the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk), it was re-established in September 1993 under the leadership of Thomas R. Porter (Sakokwenionkwas - "The One Who Wins").[3] The community must raise their own revenue. It frequently holds cultural presentations, workshops, and academic events, including an annual Strawberry Festival.[4] A craft shop on site features genuine handmade Native crafts from all over Turtle Island (North America).
The primary mission of the community is to try to preserve traditional values, culture, language and lifestyles in the guidance of the Kaienerekowa (Great Law of Peace).[5] Kanatsiohareke, Inc. is a non-profit organization under IRS code 501c3. The community attempts to re-establish a Mohawk presence in the valley after a previous attempt in 1958 was driven out by local farmers.[6]
Thomas Porter is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne. (Akwesasne, also known in the US as the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, straddles the Canada–US border near Massena, New York). He is married to Alice Joe Porter (Choctaw), and they have six children.
References
- ↑ "Porter, Tom 'Sakokwenionkwas' (Mohawk)". NativeAuthors.com. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- ↑ "The Importance of Preserving Traditional Knowledge". Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- ↑ "A Traditional Mohawk's View of Reality". Keene State College. 2011-11-28. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- ↑ Vincent Schilling (2011-06-25). "Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community Celebrates the Strawberries". Indian Country Today Media Network. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- ↑ "More Than Words - Mohawk Language and Cultural Revitalization in New York. Lisa Matthews Interview with Kay Olan of Kanatsiohareke". Cultural Survival. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
- ↑ "Mohawk Indians Desert Settlement Near Thruway". The Post-Star. April 1, 1958. p. 1.
- Tom Porter/Sakokwenionkwas (2006). Kanatsiohareke: Traditional Mohawk Indians Return to their Ancestral Homeland. Bowman Books. ISBN 978-0878861477. Retrieved 2013-02-08.