Thomas R. Porter (Sakokwenionkwas, “The One Who Wins”) has served as the founder, spokesperson, and spiritual leader of the Mohawk Community of Kanatsiohareke in the Mohawk Valley near Fonda, New York since 1993. He is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, which straddles the New York State/Canadian border near Massena, New York. He is married to Alice Joe Porter, who is Choctaw, and together they have six children.
Known nationally in Indian Country since the 1960s, Tom “Sakokwenionkwas” Porter co-founded the White Roots of Peace, a group of Iroquois Elders who traveled across the country to share traditional teachings and encourage Native people to embrace their own traditions. Seeing that Mohawk language and culture were at risk of disappearing, he also helped establish the Akwesasne Freedom School for grades K-8, with a curriculum taught entirely in Mohawk. He is widely respected as a compassionate and inspiring speaker on the harmful effects of substance abuse on Indian families, communities, and nations. As an educator, he has taught a wide range of subjects at the Akwesasne Freedom School, Trent University, Akwesasne, and the Tyiendinaga Reserve, and has also worked as a cultural researcher and consultant for the North American Indian Traveling College. Mr. Porter is the author of Our Ways, a study of Iroquoian clan systems published by the North American Indian Traveling College, and he has received the Rothko Chapel Award for his commitment to truth and freedom.