Oct 04, 2012 — Native tribes' claims to ancestral lands in New York haven't fared so well recently. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially dismissed the Oneida Nation's land claim, saying too much time had passed since the 18th century treaties the claims are based on. Other courts have followed that ruling with other tribes' land claims.

So this week, when a judge recommended throwing out 85% of the Mohawk land claim in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe focused on the 15% that has a chance to survive. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Sep 17, 2012 — Akwesasne is celebrating the return of a sports hero today. Lacrosse goalie Mike Thompson was declared the Most Valuable Player after winning North America's biggest lacrosse championship, the Mann Cup, on Saturday.

Thompson's team, the Peterborough Lakers, was losing two games to none against the Langley Thunder. The Lakers' younger goalie was pulled in favor of 36 year-old Thompson in game three. The Lakers went on to rattle off four straight wins with Thompson in goal and win the team's second Mann Cup in three years.

Thompson announced his retirement from the Buffalo Bandits major league lacrosse team earlier this year. He says this may also be his last game with the Lakers because he wants to spend more time with his family and training lacrosse players in Akwesasne.

David Sommerstein profiled Mike Thompson in May 2011. Here's that story.  Go to full article

Cornwall, ON, Sep 13, 2012 — The weekend after Labor Day is a special one on the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation near Massena. People from across the region gather on Cornwall Island for the Akwesasne Pow-Wow, a friendly competition of dancing, drumming, and singing that's at the heart of native culture.  Go to full article

Cornwall, ON, Sep 13, 2012 — The hometown favorites of the pow wow, the Akwesasne Singers, perform the Alligator Dance, a song from tribes in the Everglades in Florida.  Go to full article

Fonda, NY, Dec 26, 2011 — Last week, the Vatican declared that a Washington state boy's recovery from a deadly and debilitating illness was a miracle. The Pope signed documents attributing 11-year-old Jake Finkbonner's survival to the intercession of Kateri Tekakwitha. She was a 17th century Mohawk woman who lived in what is now Upstate New York and who converted to Catholicism.

The Pope's decision moves Kateri one step closer to full sainthood. Last week, Bishop Terry LaValley, head of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, issued a statement saying "we eagerly await that day when the church declares that she is numbered among the saints in heaven."

Back in April, NPR's religion corrrespondent, Barbara Bradley-Hagerty, examined the process by which the Vatican decides which miracles are authentic.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Aug 12, 2011 — At the Akwesasne Freedom School on the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation near Massena, kids spend their whole day, including recess, completely immersed in the Mohawk language. Nora Flaherty has more.  Go to full article

Irving, NY, Aug 11, 2011 — Seneca Nation president Robert Odawi Porter is using an historic piece of cloth to deliver a message to New York State about native sovereignty. He said payment of the cloth and a small sum according to an 18th century treaty symbolizes native nations' freedom from state taxation and right to land.

The history lesson came on the same day that Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he is considering legalizing gambling in New York. That would have a profound effect on native nations and tribes around the state who rely on their casinos for revenue. Martha Foley and Dave Bullard report.  Go to full article

Rochester, NY, Aug 10, 2011 — Two years after New York State prison officials closed Camp Gabriels, a Mohawk writer and activist wants to reopen the Adirondack facility as an education center and accredited campus with ties to Syracuse University.

Doug George announced last week at a meeting in Ticonderoga that he is working with Native American leaders, state officials and with other educators to develop the program. He hopes to attract students interested in learning about Native culture, language and heritage.

As Brian Mann reports, the proposal has been on the drawing board for more than a year. But key questions remain.  Go to full article

Salamanca, NY, Aug 08, 2011 — This week, we're going to take a look around Indian Country in New York. Taxing native smoke shops have grabbed headlines lately. But we're going to look deeper at some of the political, economic, and social trends shaping New York's native tribes and nations.

Today, the Seneca Nation, south of Buffalo. Casinos and tobacco sales have turned it from an empoverished territory to one of the top ten employer in western New York.

The Nation's new president, Robert Odawi Porter, has taken a lead role in negotiating native issues with the Cuomo Administration.

Porter wants the Senecas to go beyond smoke shops and slot machines. He's a Harvard-educated lawyer and academic. And he wants to recast one of the darkest moments of the Seneca people into an economic boon. David Sommerstein has this profile.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, May 06, 2011 — The hockey and basketball playoffs are at full throttle. But there's another professional sport deep in the title series - the national lacrosse league. Tomorrow, the Buffalo Bandits, one of the league's winningest franchises, takes on the Toronto Rock in the semifinals. The Bandits are led by goalie Mike Thompson, a Mohawk who lives in Akwesasne. Thompson's had an incredible year and an incredible career, having won both major North American lacrosse championships. David Sommerstein visited him at home and has this profile.  Go to full article