The Germans can jump into the melting pot. The Swedish can jump in the melting pot…The Czechoslovakians can jump in there. The Polish can jump in there, too. But if some day those different… nationalities… all lose their language as they jump in the melting pot of America, if someday their grandchildren want to learn it, even if they have lost it, the Swedes can go back to Sweden, The Italians can go back to Italy, the Polish can go back to Poland, and they can regain their language that way… but where does the Mohawk go? There is nowhere in the world for other Iroquois to go if they…want again to speak their language.- Sakokwenionkwas (Tom Porter), Mohawk Chief (Bear Clan)
The Akwesasne Freedom School is an independent elementary school, grades pre-K through 8, run by the Mohawk Nation. Akwesasne, "the land where the partridge drums," is located on the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York. The school was founded in 1979 by Mohawk parents concerned that their language and culture would slowly die. In 1985, a Mohawk language immersion program was begun. It is the only program if its kind in the United States. The Mohawk "Thanksgiving Address," which teaches gratitude to the earth and everything on it, is used as a curriculum base. Students study reading, writing, math, science, history and the Mohawk ceremonial cycle. The Akwesasne Freedom School combines solid academics with a strong foundation in Mohawk culture.
In 1984, there was the shocking discovery that toxic wastes from a neighboring off-reservation General Motors factory were threatening the school. Fifty parts per million PCB’s are considered toxic waste; readings of toxin levels in a cove near the school show up to 3000 parts per million PCB’s. The full impact on Akwesasne children remains unknown until breast milk studies are conducted, but enrollment has dropped 80 percent and the school is being forced to move.
In response to this crisis, a new Akwesasne Freedom School is being built. Parents and friends have raised money to purchase 157 acres of land seven miles east of its present location. Plans have been made for a 6000 square foot passive solar building including six classrooms, a kitchen, offices, and a cafeteria. The foundation and framing were recently completed, but students will not be able to attend classes in a clean, safe environment until the new building is finished.
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