Tom Porter (2) (1944–)

I enjoyed learning about the Iroquois stories and traditions from Tom Porter (and his grandmother). There were a few that felt as though they had been overly influenced by Christianity, but even those felt as though there was a kernel of older stories inside them.

I loved the Mohawk approach to disciplining children - seems so much more civilised than what the indigenous children faced when they had to attend Canadian or American schools.

Account of how a group of Mohawks obtained a property in the Mohawk Valley and have set up a traditional Mohawk way of life at the farm, with a lot of help from student and other volunteers. Oh, and a donation of over $200,000 to buy the property in the first place. The book includes some Mohawk history and re-tellings of a couple of Mohawk tales, but reads more as an extended thank-you letter than as a meaningful exploration of what makes this venture really different from other show more back-to-the-land stories. show less

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