Sakokwenionkwas Thomas R. Porter has been the founder, spokesperson and spiritual leader of the Mohawk Community of Kanatsiohareke (Ga na jo ha lay gay) located in the Mohawk Valley near Fonda, New York, since 1993. He is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne. He is married to Alice Joe Porter who is Choctaw, and has six children.
Porter has been a nationally recognized figure since the 1960s when he co-founded the White Roots of Peace, a group of Haudenosaunee representatives that traveled across North America, sharing native teachings and encouraging Indigenous communities to reconnect with their traditions.Porter co-established the Akwesasne Freedom School, which offers an immersive Mohawk-language curriculum.
Mr. Porter held the position of sub-chief for the Tehanakarine Chieftainship title, one of the nine chief titles of the Mohawk Nation, from 1971 to 1992, speaking at traditional ceremonies and guiding his community spiritually and politically. In 1993, he founded the Kanatsiohareke community to create a haven for living according to traditional Mohawk values, emphasizing language revitalization as central to cultural preservation.
