The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and the effects of pollution

Author: Samantha Riley

 



The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe put settlement money into the Akwesasne Freedom School. Bottom, in back, Kanerahtens, Amberdawn LaFrance, Emma Shenandoah, and Amalli Nalli; in front, Tekanonhtakhen, Iehahserenhawe, Kahnawakeniate, Ranerahtentha and Rowenrenkehteh. Photo credits to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe.

The Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation can be found along the United State’s and Canada’s border, ranging twenty-five square miles in a region known as the Akwesasne. Within this environment can be found more than 3,000 acres of wetlands across islands and rivers, including the Saint Lawrence, Saint Regis, Raquette, Grasse, and Salmon Rivers. As one could imagine, these rivers are invaluable to the 13,000 Saint Regis Mohawks, or the Kanienkehake People of the Flint. The tribe has occupied their land since at least 1600 A.D., according to archaeological findings. Unfortunately, the effects of pollution are endangering the environment, lives, and traditions of the people.

            The reservation has sat downstream from Hogansburg Dam, General Motors, Alcoa, and Reynolds Metal plants. In addition to the plants, the Saint Lawrence River has become an international shipping channel. While these industrial efforts have positive impacts on the economy, the rivers of the region are facing the consequences of this industrialization. Pollutants come from these facilities and the shipping channel, mixing the natural river sediments with heavy metals and toxic chemicals. The toxic mixture has polluted the reservation’s water, threatening the environment.

            In the past, the Saint Regis Mohawks have lived off of agriculture, fishing, and hunting to sustain their community, but that has since changed due to the pollution. The once-abundant fish are dying, and what fish are left are considered unsafe to consume. The Saint Regis Mohawk government issued a warning to reservation inhabitants against eating locally caught fish. The tribal members have attributed health issues to the pollution; a local woman suffered a number of miscarriages, a local man had developed cancer, and others reported various other ailments.

Beverly Cook, one of the three chiefs on the Saint Regis Mohawk council in 2015, told Aljazeera’s Joe Jackson, “There were a lot of things that changed. [We] went from a farming community to not being able to farm anymore because of pollution.”

The Akwesasne flora and fauna have been altered or eliminated by the toxic runoff in the waters, which has in turn altered the lives of the tribal members. The runoff has killed off plants used for medicinal purposes. The fauna previously hunted for food have decreased in numbers. The same can be said for flora and fauna which are important to traditional practices. The decrease in numbers, or the complete elimination of the flora and fauna, is endangering the long-lived culture of the people.

While the pollution of the Akwesasne region is still a problem today, there have been efforts to lessen it. In 2016, decades after it was initially built, the Hogansburg Dam was removed from the Saint Regis River under federal oversight. The destruction was part of a larger movement, which began in 2012, to dismantle over 250 dams across the United States. Its removal was done with hopes of restoring the waters polluted with PCBs and heavy metals. With the removal of the dam, the water condition of the Saint Regis River could improve, as well as reconnecting it with the Saint Lawrence River. This connection allows for salmon, sturgeons, and other migratory fish to move freely.

A settlement of $19.4 million was reached between the Saint Regis Mohawks, Alcoa, Reynolds, and New York state for the industrial pollution. The Natural Resource Damage Assessment money was used by the Saint Regis Mohawks to fund cultural restoration projects through 2018, including the Akwesasne Freedom School’s Language Nest, Akwesasne Cultural Center and the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment. The three organizations were created in an effort to preserve Saint Regis Mohawk language and culture. The Akwesasne Freedom School’s Language Nest provides immersive daycare services that fosters Saint Regis Mohawk language and cultural education. The Akwesasne Cultural Center was created to support the Mohawk language and the transmission of the language to new generations through signage, brochures, and technology. The Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment was formed to create and implement workshops to educate the community.

The effects of pollution will continue to be felt by the Saint Regis Mohawks. There are initiatives being taken to reduce the pollution, and to compensate the tribe, but their lives have been affecting, physically and culturally. The pollution has caused health problems for tribal members, and has impacted their cultural traditions. With the Natural Resource Damage Assessment money awarded to the tribe, they have implemented organizations within their community to help revive the strength of their culture and their native language.  

Author Bio: Samantha Riley is a sophomore at IUPUI studying French and Anthropology.

Sources:

Associated Press. “Akwesasne Mohawk tribe invests pollution settlement in cultural preservation.” NCPR, Apr. 18, 2017. https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/33788/20170418/akwesasne-mohawk-tribe-invests-pollution-settlement-in-cultural-preservation.

 

 “Dam destruction major victory for Mohawk tribe.” Aljazeera, Dec. 12, 2016. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/dam-destruction-major-victory-mohawk-tribe-161212081029824.html.

 

“Pollution settlement between St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and Alcoa, Reynolds and state to fund Akwesasne cultural projects.” North Country Now, Apr. 5, 2017. http://northcountrynow.com/news/pollution-settlement-between-st-regis-mohawk-tribe-and-alcoa-reynolds-and-new-york-state-fund.

 

Hoover, Elizabeth. “Fighting toxics in a Mohawk community.” Environmental Health News, Feb. 21, 2018, https://www.ehn.org/mohawk-akwesasne-environmental-justice-superfund-2537159934.html.

 

Jackson, Joe. “A Native-American nation divided.” Aljazeera, Jan. 9, 2015. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/01/native-american-nation-divided-20151710544289875.html.

 

Rosa-Aquino, Paola. “To share of not to share?” Grist, Nov. 21, 2018, https://grist.org/article/indigenous-knowledge-climate-change-solution/.

 

Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/.