Kanatsiohareke (Gah-nah-jo-ha-lay-gay) ( moh, Kana’tsioharé:ke) is a small
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to:
Related to Native Americans
*Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York)
*Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people
*Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...
/''Kanienkahaka'' community on the north bank of the
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk f ...
, west of
Fonda, New York
Fonda is a village in and the county seat of Montgomery County, New York, United States. The population was 795 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Douw Fonda, a Dutch-American settler who was killed and scalped in 1780, during a Mohawk ...
. The name means "The clean pots" and is derived from
Canajoharie
Canajoharie (), also known as the "Upper Castle", was the name of one of two major towns of the Mohawk nation in 1738. The community stretched for a mile and a half along the southern bank of the Mohawk River, from a village known as ''Dekanohage' ...
or "Upper Castle", one of the two major towns of the Mohawk nation in 1738. Kanatsiohareke was created to be a "
Carlisle Indian Boarding School
The United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, generally known as Carlisle Indian Industrial School, was the flagship Indian boarding school in the United States from 1879 through 1918. It took over the historic Carlisle B ...
in Reverse", teaching
Mohawk language
Mohawk (; ''Kanienʼkéha'', " anguageof the Flint Place") is an Iroquoian language currently spoken by around 3,500 people of the Mohawk nation, located primarily in current or former Haudenosaunee territories, predominately Canada (southern O ...
and culture. 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"). The community must raise their own revenue and frequently hold cultural presentations, workshops, and academic events, including an annual Strawberry Festival. 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).
Kanatsiohareke, Inc. is a
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
under IRS code 501c3.
Thomas Porter is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne ( ; french: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; moh, Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk Nation (''Kanienʼkehá:ka'') territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ont ...
. (Akwesasne, also known as the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, straddles the
Canada–US border near Massena, New York.) He is married to Alice Joe Porter who is Choctaw, and has six children.
References
*{{Cite book
, publisher = Bowman Books
, isbn = 978-0878861477
, last = Tom Porter/Sakokwenionkwas
, title = Kanatsiohareke: Traditional Mohawk Indians Return to their Ancestral Homeland
, accessdate = 2013-02-08
, year = 2006
, url = http://nativeauthors.com/index.php?productID=766
External links
Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community Official WebsitePhotose of 19th annual Strawberry Festival from
The Daily Gazette
''The Daily Gazette'' is an independent, family-owned daily newspaper published in Schenectady, New York. ''The Daily Gazette'' also owns and operates ''The Amsterdam Recorder'', ''The Gloversville Leader-Herald'' and ''Your Niskayuna''.
Hist ...
Intentional communities in the United States
Iroquois populated places
Montgomery County, New York
Mohawk tribe
Native American organizations
Non-profit organizations based in New York (state)
Organizations established in 1993
Native American language revitalization