Kanatsiohareke and the Revitalization of Mohawk Language and Culture
In 1993, a small group of traditional Mohawk people returned to the homeland of their ancestors and re-established a Mohawk community called Kanatsiohareke (pronounced Gah Nah Jo Hah Leh: Geh). It’s on the north shore of the Mohawk River between Fonda and Palatine Bridge. It is located on about 400 acres of land, most of which was purchased at public auction and is a pre-colonial site of a Mohawk Bear Clan village.
Mohawk Elder Tom Porter (Sakokwenionkwas) was the founder, director and spiritual leader of this Community. Tom has been an important Indigenous leader and educator for many decades. In 1969, he organized the “White Roots of Peace,” a traveling multi-media communications group designed to revitalize Native traditions and beliefs in North America. Tom was a primary speaker, educating people at universities and colleges all over the United States and Canada. Tom was a sub-chief of the Mohawk Nation for 21 years (1971-1992). He was the director of and a teacher at the Akwesasne Freedom School and taught at the Kahnawake Survival School.
Following major conflicts at the Mohawk territory of Akwesasne, Tom led the effort to return to the Mohawk Valley, the center of his peoples’ homeland, from which they were driven out by US colonists in the late 1700s. The purpose of Kanatsiohareke is to revitalize Native languages and traditions and to educate Native and non-Native people about the true history, culture, language and spirituality of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) People. Kanatsiohareke has served this role for over three decades, offering a range of Mohawk language courses, workshops, events and other activities, including their annual Strawberry Festival, scheduled for June 29-30 this year (see below for full details).
NOON has been connected to Kanatsiohareke since our early days, and have always been inspired by their work. When NOON and Onondaga citizens traveled together to Albany for the first court hearing in the Onondaga Land Rights Action in October 2007, Kanatsiohareke hosted us for lunch afterward. When Onondaga paddlers led the first stage of the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign in July 2013, they stayed at Kanatsiohareke for hospitality and inspiration.
As an independent Haudenosaunee community, Kanatsiohareke is always in need of additional support. Learn more on their website.
Learn More
Return of the Mohawks video with Kay Olan
We Are Still Here: The Kanatsiohareke Mohawk community video with Tom Porter
Upcoming Events:
“Jöhehgöh” They Sustain Us – Indigenous Food Event
Saturday | June 22, 2024, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564
Join us at Ganondagan for “Jöhehgöh” They Sustain Us – Indigenous Food Event with Braiding Sweetgrass author, Robin Kimmerer (Potawatomi), chef Loretta Barrett Oden (Potawatomi), and Haudenosaunee culture bearers for demonstrations, hands-on activities, speaking, and a delicious, Indigenous lunch prepared by Chef Loretta.
Books will be available for purchase at the Ganondagan Gift Shop and Robin Kimmerer and Loretta Barret Oden will be available for book signings that day.
Registration now available on event page. Pre-registration is required. Registration fee is $100 for current members, $125 for public.
Witness to Injustice Experiential Workshop
Sunday, June 23, 1 to 4 pm
ArtRage Gallery, 505 Hawley Ave., Syracuse, NY 13203
Witness to Injustice is a unique three-hour interactive group educational experience. It uses an experiential, participatory model to share the disturbing history of what Indigenous Peoples have experienced through colonization with a focus on the experience of the Onondaga Nation and other Haudenosaunee Peoples. The program seeks to foster truth, understanding and respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the part of the world now known as the United States; especially in the territory stewarded by people of the Onondaga Nation and other Haudenosaunee peoples. The program is facilitated by Onondaga Nation citizens and non-Indigenous allies. Witness to Injustice is a project of Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation / Syracuse Peace Council. Space is limited. Please RSVP to info@artragegallery.org to reserve your spot. We are asking for a $10 donation to reserve your spot. Several scholarships available, please inquire.
Geva Theatre Indigenous Theatre Symposium
Thursday & Friday | June 27-28, 2024
Geva Theatre, in association with Friends of Ganondagan and NTID and in affiliation with Native Voices presents Embracing the Indian, Centering Indigenous Voices, a free two-day event June 27 and June 28, 2024.
June 27 – The Mush Hole, a dance theatre performance about truths of Canada’s first Indian Residential School, with free performances at 2pm and 7pm, Robert F. Panara Theatre,, 52 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623
June 28 – Indigenous Theatre Symposium, featuring keynote remarks from artistic director Santee Smith of the Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, a film screening of UNSEEN TEARS, and more! This event runs from 8:30am-4pm at Geva Theatre, Fielding Stage/Lobby/Café, 75 Woodbury Boulevard, Rochester, NY. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
These events are free to the public, Registration is required.
Kanatsiohareke Strawberry Festival
Saturday & Sunday, June 29-30 @ 10 AM – 6 PM. Onsite camping available.
Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community, 4934 State Highway 5, Fonda, NY 12068
Join the Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community as the community opens its doors to the public with their annual Strawberry Festival celebration. A day to enjoy traditional & modern music, dance, storytelling, silent auction, craft fair, good food. See old friends and make new ones while supporting the Kanatsiohareke Community!
Health Safety Warning: Covid is still a threat to many, and we appreciate public support in keeping the community safe. Please stay home if you have a fever, are feeling sick, or if you have been recently exposed to the COVID virus. Masks are encouraged, but optional.
Volunteers needed. To volunteer, contact the Community at kanatsiohareke@gmail.com.
(Exits 28 & 29 off I-90).Adults: $10 • Seniors & Children under 12: $8 • Children under 5: Free!
Haudenosaunee Social Dancers – ONOTA’A:KA (ONEIDA NATION)
Saturday, July 6, approximately: 11 am and 2 pm
Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road, Howes Cave, NY 12092
ONOTA’A:KA, from the Haudenosaunee community of Oneida in central New York is led by Wes Halsey. Onota’a:ka uses dance as a way to raise awareness of the diversity and uniqueness of Native traditions. Performances include a repertoire that encourages participation. By offering the audience an opportunity to take part Onota’a:ka seeks to create a foundation for understanding that endures beyond the afternoon’s presentation.
Indigenous Music & Arts Festival
Saturday & Sunday, July 27-28 @ 10 AM – 5 PM
Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564
Ganondagan’s annual Indigenous Music & Arts festival showcases Haudenosaunee and Indigenous cultures through dance, music, storytelling, traditional craft demonstrations, an Indigenous Arts Market, children’s activities, Indigenous food, and more.
This year welcomes Māori artists and performers. The event will feature artist demonstrations, dance performances and collaborative opportunities with Haudenosaunee artists, performers, and culture bearers.
During the festival weekend, Māori artists and performers will provide artist demonstrations, traditional dance, and contemporary performances. Artists will also be selling their work.
This year’s festival features Native folk and blues rocker, Keith Secola (Anishinabe) & his Wild Band of Indians, hoop dance champions and performers, the Sinquah Family Dance Troupe (Hopi/Tewa/Choctaw), Bill Crouse (Seneca) and Haudenosaunee social dancers, Alleghany River Indian Dancers, and storytellers Ronnie Reitter (Seneca, Wolf Clan) & Perry Ground (Onondaga, Turtle Clan).
Monthly Events:
NOON Steering Committee Open Meeting. Please contact Lee Cridland, Peace Council Staff, for more info.
Indigenous News:
Columbus monument supporters not allowed to appeal decision that paves the way for statue’s removal (if you click on this link and get a message that you need to be a subscriber, copy the url and paste it into an “incognito” window and you should be able to access the article.
100 years later: A congressional act that didn’t ensure equal justice
every pattern needs a passage – essay by Sarah Biscarra Dilley
They took the children: The hidden legacy of Indian boarding schools in the United States
The wait begins for Leonard Peltier
In California, Tribal Members Are Reclaiming the ‘Land of the Flowing Water’
Places to Visit:
Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center, 6680 Onondaga Lake Pkwy. Liverpool, NY 13088. Skä•noñh is a Haudenosaunee Cultural Center focused on telling the story of the native peoples of central New York. Now open from 10am-4pm Wednesday-Friday, and 11am-4pm on Saturday.
Kanatsiohareke Mohawk Community, 4934 State Highway 5. Fonda, NY.
Ganondagan State Historic Site, 7000 County Road 41 (Boughton Hill Road) Victor, NY 14564. Bark Longhouse open May-October.
Seneca Iroquois National Museum, 82 W Hetzel St. Salamanca, NY 14779.
Iroquois Museum, 324 Caverns Road. Howes Cave, NY 12092.
About Us:
Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation (NOON) is a grassroots organization of Central New Yorkers which recognizes and supports the sovereignty of the traditional government of the Onondaga Nation. A program of the Syracuse Peace Council, NOON supports the right of Indigenous Peoples to reclaim land, and advocates for fair settlement of any claims which are filed. We are always looking for more folks to join our work in Central New York. Learn more here.
NOON works on the territory of the Onondaga Nation,
Firekeepers of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
We express our deep gratitude to the Onondaga Nation for caring for these lands, waters, and all our fellow beings since time immemorial.
We offer heartfelt apologies for the terrible violence that colonizers have carried out against the Onondaga People and Nation, including theft of land and attempted genocide. We are thankful for their perseverance and survival. We commit ourselves to working in solidarity with the Onondaga Nation to protect their sovereignty and create a shared, sustainable future for all life.
