Kanatsiohareke (Gah-nah-jo-ha-lay-gay; ) is a small Mohawk/''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 (state), New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson R ...

, west of Fonda, New York in the traditional territory of the Kanienkahaka. The name means "The clean pots" and is derived from Canajoharie 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 in Reverse", teaching Mohawk language 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), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

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. Thomas Porter is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne (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 Website

Photose of 19th annual Strawberry Festival
from The Daily Gazette Intentional communities in New York (state) Aboriginal title in New York Iroquois populated places Populated places in Montgomery County, New York Mohawk Native American organizations Non-profit organizations based in New York (state) Organizations established in 1993 Native American language revitalization