Iroquois social.

Tom Porter (Akwesasne Mohawk) hosts an Iroquois social at the American Indian Community House (AICH). The Akwesasne Mohawk Singers perform stomp dances, round dances, women's dances and couple's dances and their accompanying songs. The round dance shown here is an Iroquois social dance, which can be done both inside and outside the traditional longhouse. Tom Porter (Sakokwenionkwas, The One Who Wins) is the spokesman and Chief Spiritual Leader of the Mohawk Community of Kanatsiohareke (Ga na jó ha lay: gay) in Fonda, New York. A member of the Bear Clan, he was raised as part of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation in upstate New York. Mr. Porter acted as Bear Clan Chief in the traditional longhouse movement, opposite the state-sanctioned Tribal Council. He has served numerous positions on the Mohawk Nation of Chiefs Council for over 25 years. The Akwesasne Mohawk Singers are among the foremost performers of Iroquois traditions in North America today. They live on their ancestral land along the St. Lawrence River where northern New York meets southern Ontario and Quebec. The American Indian Community House (AICH) is an urban Indian center that services the needs of the Native people living in New York City and welcomes Native visitors to the city. AICH was founded in 1969 and has become a de facto neighborhood serving as a meeting place for the diverse Native community of the New York City area. The Community House offers a variety of services ranging from substance abuse and HIV counseling, to career assistance. It is also home to the only Indian owned and operated art gallery in New York City. The AICHs Performing Arts Department has become an important resource for Native visual and performance artists. Through its programming, performance has become an important educational vehicle, both for the Native and non-Native NY community. The Badger's Corner, initiated in the 1980s, is an education-via-entertainment vehicle for the AICHs visual and performing arts department programs. Taking its name from the Pueblo legend of the four-legged creature who led the Pueblo people out of the underworld after the great flood, the intent of its programming is to inform and challenge people to rethink their concept(s) of Native American people and customs. All performances at AICH are presented under the auspices of the Badgers Corner. Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics