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Life Worth Living is an initiative of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School.
The Way of the Haudenosaunee People / Tom Porter
Tom 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.
What does Haudenosaunee history teach us about the importance of geography to identity?
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Mohawk elder Tom Porter introduces Haudenosaunee identity through language, geography, and ancestral memory.
Identity begins with story, language, and place. Mohawk elder Tom Porter explains how different nations within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy received their names from the landscapes where they settled, revealing the deep relationship between land, language, and identity.
Highlights
“Yungwanoshoni means we are the people of the longhouse.”
“All originate from the same great great grandma.”
“We changed our name according to the environment where we live.”
“We were there before they were there.”
Identity begins with story, language, and place. Mohawk elder Tom Porter explains how different nations within the Haudenosaunee Confederacy received their names from the landscapes where they settled, revealing the deep relationship between land, language, and identity.
Highlights
“Yungwanoshoni means we are the people of the longhouse.”
“All originate from the same great great grandma.”
“We changed our name according to the environment where we live.”
“We were there before they were there.”
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