About
Wa’tkonnonhwerá:ton
Welcome to the official website of the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center. Established in 1978, the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center was created to preserve and enrich the language and culture of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) of Kahnawà:ke. Our center is located in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke south of Montreal, Canada.
Mission Statement
“The mission of Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa, a vital and dedicated catalyst for community change,
is to lead and support all Kahnawa’kehró:non to practice, maintain, respect, renew, and enhance Kanien’kéha
language, beliefs, values, customs and traditions through the development, delivery, and sharing with all peoples, cultural and educational activities which will ensure the continued existence of our present and future generations as Kanien’kehá:ka.”
(May 13, 1997: Kanien’kehá:ka Raotitióhkwa Cultural Strategic Planning Session).
“Ne ionkwaio’tátie' ne Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa ne tiókon nè:'e ohén:ton akatátie' tsi niionkwarihò:ten' ne Kanien’kehá:ka, tánon' ne ò:ni akwé:kon aiethiié:nawa'se' ne Kahnawa’kehró:non ahontéweienste' tsi niionkwarihò:ten tánon' tiótkon ahatirihwakweniénhstake' tsi iah nenwén:ton tha'ónhton tsi Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwehón:we.”
Goals
To provide all members of our community with the opportunity to increase their cultural awareness by fostering pride in our Kanien’kéha heritage and traditions.
To enhance our worldview and promote our traditional values of honesty, respect, sharing and sense of community.
To preserve, enrich and perpetuate our Kanien’kehá:ka language so that every member of our community actively seeks to use it and pass it on as the most precious possession of our people.
To act as a cultural resource center by providing a research/learning environment on all aspects of Iroquois culture generally and on the Mohawks of Kahnawake specifically.
Objectives
Develop, deliver and implement various Kanien’kéha second language immersion programs and activities for all age levels for the benefit of the community.
To coordinate and implement various cultural educational workshops and activities to help increase the community’s traditional cultural knowledge and history of who we are as Rotinonhsión:ni.
Develop and produce various forms of multimedia language tools and digital technology to strengthen and support various Kanien’kéha second language learning programs for the benefit of the community.
To research, create and produce various curriculum language and cultural resources to support the organization’s various language and cultural programs and activities for the benefit of the community.