Jul 19, 2001 — Governor Pataki denies that a casino deal for the Catskills is imminent, but he says talks with the St. Regis Mohawk tribe are continuing. Karen DeWitt reports.  Go to full article

Jun 25, 2001 — Last week Governor Pataki made a surprise announcement to allow Seneca Nation casinos in Niagara Falls and Buffalo. David Sommerstein reports the St. Regis Mohawks don't think the move will hurt their own casino plans.  Go to full article

Jun 08, 2001 — Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled New York State cannot dismiss the St. Regis Mohawks' land claim to 15,000 acres of land along the St. Lawrence River. David Sommerstein reports the decision is good news for the Mohawks' 20-year old lawsuit, but it raises the thorny issue of how many governments govern in Akwewsasne.  Go to full article

Jun 04, 2001 — Kahnawake Mohawks near Montreal have taken a first step toward traditional self-government. Last week the tribe unveiled a set of agreements with the Canadian government that it calls the beginning of a new relationship. David Sommerstein reports.  Go to full article

May 29, 2001 — Canada's highest court ruled last week Akwesasne Mohawks on the border with New York do not have an aboriginal right to bring goods into Canada without paying taxes. Critics see the ruling as a setback for native rights in Canada. David Sommerstein reports the Mohawks aren't finished fighting for duty-free trade.  Go to full article

Apr 12, 2001 — The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is hoping to insure a non-violent crossing as activists head into Canada at the Cornwall next Thursday. Mohawks from both sides of the border have promised to escort people headed to the FTAA talks across the international bridge from Cornwall Island. But the tribal council hopes the action will stop at a symbolic show of solidarity. Yesterday, council announced it's taking a zero-tolerance stand against rumored blockades or other confrontations. Jody Tosti reports.  Go to full article

Jun 19, 2000 — In the 1940s, Ray Fadden [Tehanetorens] began to teach young Mohawks about their own culture. With a group of young men from the reservation, he traveled to collect information about Mohawk history and trained them in woodsmanship and other traditional arts. Fadden later founded the Six Nations Indian Museum in Onchiota, where an impressive collection of historical Iroquois artifacts are exhibited.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Feb 28, 2000 — Catholicism has its roots deeps in the history of Akwesasne, the St. Regis Mohawk reservation straddling the St. Lawrence River between the US and Canada, going back to the French Jesuit mission established there in the 1750s. The church choir there preserves a unique tradition of Christian music sung in the Mohawk language, and acts as a bridge between two often discordant cultural traditions.  Go to full article

Hogansburg, NY, Jan 24, 2000 — The traditional basketmakers of the Mohawk nation at Akwesasne are known for fine ash splint and sweetgrass work. Some travel to colleges, museums and international pow-wows to teach and show their craft. Samples of their work are owned by major museums, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Vatican.  Go to full article

Jan 01, 1990 — Illegal gambling casinos flourished on the St. Regis Mohawk reservation in the 1980s. But the issue of gambling and how it fit into Mohawk traditions and laws, and state and federal law, deeply divided the community there.
Two hundred New York State Police officers raided the casinos in mid-July 1989. They blockaded the reservation, restricting traffic on and off the reserve.
An armed ad hoc Mohawk security force, the Warrior Society, emerged.
Gunfire became common, directed at the power supply of a casino, or at the patrol car of police known to oppose gambling. Within months, most of the gambling halls were open again. Under an agreement worked out between tribal leaders, the Warriors and Gov. Mario Cuomo, state police didn't venture onto Mohawk territory without checking in with the Warrior Society.
The bitter dispute continued. It came to a head in May of 1990, when gunfire killed two Mohawks, bringing New York and Canadian police onto the territory en masse.
In early 1990, North Country Public Radio aired an hour long documentary we called "The Fractured Family: Gambling at Akwesasne," after extensive interviews and research inside and outside the Mohawk community, and its traditional and non-traditional factions. The Fractured Family was written and produced by Pat McKeown and Martha Foley. Production engineer was Beverly Hickman.  Go to full article