About TNWA
Serving the Tyendinaga Mohawk community through cultural teachings, community care, and volunteer support.
Our Purpose
The Tyendinaga Native Women's Association (TNWA) is a community-led group of Mohawk women, daughters, mothers, and grandmothers dedicated to supporting families in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory (Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte) and surrounding areas.
TNWA continues a long tradition of Mohawk women organizing, teaching, feeding, fundraising, and caring for the community. We work together to keep local traditions active, share skills, support local youth, and provide a welcoming space where culture is honored and protected.
We cooperate with local community groups, administration bodies, and regional networks like the Ontario Native Women's Association (ONWA) to share resources and extend cultural programming to our territory.
Community Presence
Our Territory
Kenhtè:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory)
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Ontario
Our Focus
Supporting Mohawk women, Elders, youth, and families residing locally.
Our Footprint
Grassroots community care, volunteer teachings, food fundraising, and seasonal gatherings.
Our Roots
Empowering Mohawk Women
Haudenosaunee women have historically stood as vital decision-makers, clan mothers, and protectors of culture. We honor this legacy by providing spaces for women to share their wisdom, learn practical skills, and support one another in daily life.
Upholding the Good Mind
Our work is guided by the Mohawk principle of the Good Mind (*Kanikonhri:io*). We strive to act with kindness, mutual respect, and responsibility, fostering positive relations and a healthy environment for the community.
Our Values
Respect
Honoring Mohawk customs, respecting our land, and treating each other with dignity.
Culture
Revitalizing our arts, crafts, and food teachings, and supporting conversational language circles.
Care
Providing practical support to families in grief, student encouragement awards, and mutual aid.
Future Generations
Passing down traditional teachings and skills so they remain strong for the next seven generations.
Women's Leadership & Care
Our work is volunteer-led, keeping community needs at the heart of everything we do.
Leadership in Kenhtè:ke
Following the path of our grandmothers, Mohawk women continue to guide and nurture families in Tyendinaga Territory. We coordinate locally, sharing skills and encouraging women to lead initiatives that support health, heritage, and mutual support.
Volunteer-Led Community Care
Everything TNWA organizes—from traditional beading circles to comfort catering for families—is driven by volunteer community members. We rely on the time, generosity, and skills of local women to deliver support where it is needed most.
Our History
For generations, Mohawk women in Kenhtè:ke have gathered informally to share craft circles, prepare meals for grieving families, support local fundraising, and guide youth. TNWA was created to bring these grassroots efforts under a shared name, ensuring that our traditional skills, mutual support, and community care remain structured and active.
Today, we focus on preserving this legacy. Our association remains a stable hub for Mohawk women to coordinate, seek resource referrals, and share traditional knowledge with future generations.