AIIS 2100 Public Lecture Series - Collective Rights of the People of the Longhouse: Clan System as a Source of Hodinǫ̱hsǫ́:nih Rights with Tom Porter

Thomas R. Porter (Sakokwenionkwas, meaning “The One Who Wins”) is the spokesperson and spiritual leader of the Mohawk Community of Kanatsiohareke (Ga na jo ha lay gay) in the Mohawk Valley near Fonda, New York, which he founded in 1993. He is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne.

Mr. Porter was also the director of the Akwesasne Freedom School and a teacher at both the Akwesasne Freedom and the Kahnawake Survival Schools, where he taught Mohawk language, philosophy, history and carpentry. 

In addition, Mr. Porter has authored various books and pamphlets, all of which teach about Mohawk traditions and spirituality including: And Grandma Said... Iroquois Teachings: as passed down through the oral traditions (2008).

Mr. Porter's talk is part of the pubic lecture piece of the spring 2021 AIIS 2100: Indigenous Ingenuities as Living Networks course taught by Dr. Ula Piasta-Mansfield.