A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s proposed gaming expansion project could generate millions of dollars more per year for the community, according to gaming officials and a feasibility study, but the tribal membership will ultimately determine at the end of the month if they would like to see the expansion take place. The SRMT is planning to hold a referendum on April 30, 2011 asking the voting membership: “Do you support the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Expansion Project at the Akwesasne Mohaw...
An Akwesasne woman who was allegedly harassed, kept in close proximity to radiation while pregnant, verbally assaulted and intimidated, and forced to stand outside in below freezing weather by Canada Border Service Agency agents at the Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island) port of entry in 2005 will see her Human Rights Tribunal continue soon, after many delays spanning more than five years. Fallan Teiohontathe Davis, now 28, has represented herself in nearly every court appearance that’s resulted from her complaint after the November 2005 incident. Aft...
If you live in the Tsi Snaihne (Snye) or State Road areas of Akwesasne and heard a loud bang Saturday night you weren’t imagining things. According to Natural Resources Canada, a 2.2. magnitude earthquake rumbled just underneath the territory between 7 p.m. and midnight with it’s epicenter near the end of Hart Road just south of Drum Street. It could be Akwesasne’s first earthquake, although previous earthquakes with epicenters near the territory have been felt many times. “In the St. Lawrence and Ottawa valleys we do have a fair number...
Anyone in Akwesasne or visitors passing through who love to dress their daughters up with bright, pretty bows and frilly tutus will find a highly affordable place right on Route 37 to browse. Laura Thompson’s Not-Da-Loon-E Creations have had a high profile in the past couple months as more people see her designs and can’t help wanting them for little girls in their family. “I just want all little girls to feel special,” said Thompson, who has three daughters of her own, Waverli, Ivori and Chr...
With the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s annual election caucus approaching in just over a month, two Akwesasne hopefuls have already announced their plans to seek nominations for the two tribal council positions up for re-election this year. The tribe’s three chiefs and three sub-chiefs serve staggered terms – one chief and one sub-chief is elected every June to a 3-year term. Ron LaFrance Jr. will seek the position of chief, currently held by Monica Jacobs. LaFrance, who served two three-year terms as Tribal Sub-Chief from 2004-2010, ran for the p...
Girlie Accessories, a boutique by Charlene “Girlie” Thompson, will open this Friday, April 1 on Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island.) The “girly” store specializes in name brand purses, wallets, sunglasses, shoes, jewelry and other accessories. Thompson previously operated her business by setting up purse parties throughout the community. A new baby at home lead her to the decision to open a boutique. The store is located at 997 Island Road, at Thompson’s childhood home and her father, Frank Thompson,...
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Early Childhood Education Program (Headstart) celebrated the grand opening of their cafeteria and multipurpose room Monday. The new, large room will give the program a place to host events like graduation, parent activity nights, and any performances or special events throughout the year. Having one large cafeteria will also make it a bit easier for food personnel to serve the children lunch, and also gives the 3- and 4-year-olds in the program an early i...
The Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne hosted an event just for babies and their parents last Friday. The Healthy Babies staff set up a variety of activities at the Snye Recreation Centre for babies to participate in. Some of the infants and their parents had participated in any of the program’s regular infant-related courses and classes, such as a baby food-making class. Others just heard about a fun day for babies and stopped in to participate. The H...
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe announced Wednesday that a community referendum will be held on the proposed expansion at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. The $75 million project includes plans to construct a 7-story hotel as well as relocate the Mohawk Bingo Palace to the casino. At community meetings, tribal members requested ssthat a referendum vote be held asking the tribal membership if they approve of the expansion, as the SMRT will be incur a significant debt. Tribal Council was criticized in the past for making large purchases without...
Cornwall’s two community ice rinks will have their last public skating session Sunday in preparation for both facilities to close. The Si Miller Arena (formerly the Water Street Arena) and the Bob Turner Memorial Centre are being closed by the City of Cornwall as a new massive sports complex - the Benson Centre - will be ready in time for the next ice season. Generations of Akwesasne athletes enjoyed both arenas and the Water Street Arena was home to many Akwesasne lacrosse and hockey teams over the past 75 years. The arena was built in 1936. T...
Kaiahtenhatas “Cuppa” Thompson, age 12, recently cut off her long hair and donated it to a cancer patient via the Locks of Love organization. Thompson and her mother went to Today’s Hair & Day Spa in Potsdam, where she agreed to cut off 16 inches of her hair – enough for two wigs. “She said she wanted to donate her hair because her hair grows fast and she’s not sick,” her mother Marlana Thompson said. “The people who are sick with cancer don’t have a choice if they’re going to lose their hair...
An earthquake in eastern Ontario was felt for miles Wednesday afternoon, including in Akwesasne. Canadian reports indicate the 4.3 magnitude earthquake’s epicenter was near Hawkesbury, Ontario. The US Geological Society reported it to be a 3.7 magnitude earthquake centered slightly further east, across the Quebec border. Although the rumblings were reportedly felt by thousands, no major damage was immediately reported. The incident, however, was met with apprehension by some, who are still shaken by the country of Japan’s massive earthquake las...
In 1954, eight siblings between the ages of 1 and 15 died in an Akwesasne fire. The children of Paul and Cecelia Cree had been sleeping when a fire erupted in their Cree Road-Phillips Road home. The tragedy is remembered to this day, and on the 57th anniversary this week, the Cree children’s surviving family decided to hold a feast in honor of their memory. On Tuesday afternoon, March 15, a group of about 50 people gathered at the corner of Cree and Phillips Road where a memorial rests on the o...
Following a public meeting Saturday at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, there still hasn’t been a definite decision made as to whether Tribal Council will move the Mohawk Bingo Palace to a structure connected to the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. The same proposal includes plans to construct a 7-story casino hotel. Both plans have been criticized by community members. Some patrons of the Mohawk Bingo Palace are loyal customers who want to remain in the same atmosphere they’ve been playing bingo in sin...
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe announced this week that they are continuing their partnership with the CITGO Petroleum Corporation in offering free home heating fuel to tribal members this winter. However, this year income guidelines have been established. Applicants for the CITGO fuel are required to fall within a 60 percent of the state’s median income guidelines, outlined in the Low Income Heating Assistance Program’s (LIHEAP) guidelines. Tribal members who wish to receive the CITGO fuel must present a LIHEAP approval letter. This year’s CITGO...
The Mohawk Bingo Palace, as well as a multi-story hotel, could soon be part of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino if the community agrees with plans proposed Saturday at the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. Tribal Council said that no decisions have been made, but that they’re looking for community feedback and approval for the expansion to take place. The $75 million expansion includes constructing a hotel near the casino’s current valet entrance. Additional gaming floor would also be added in that area. The...
Fans of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network welcomed a Native celebrity to the community last week. Native American Chef David Wolfman, who hosts the APTN show “Cooking with the Wolfman”, gave a healthy cooking presentation at the St. Regis Recreation Thursday afternoon. Wolfman is a culinary arts professor at George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto and he is now in his eighth season on APTN. He is dedicated to cooking, preserving and promoting traditional Nat...
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Ethics Officer Alison Benedict, who began her position this past December, said the tribe’s current Ethics Ordinance makes it difficult, and in some ways nearly impossible, to be effective. “I just feel like there are so many holes in this ordinance,” she said of the document that was adopted in 2007. The purpose of the Ethics Ordinance is to ensure that the members of Tribal Council (elected officials) are making fair and ethical choices or decisions. The ordinance is meant to provide procedures on how communi...
Salmon River High School students celebrated their school spirit and showed their support for two school teams Friday who were on their way to New York State Quarterfinals over the weekend. The school held a pep rally to give the boys varsity hockey team and the girls varsity basketball team a fresh outpouring of support before they competed in their final weekend of the season. The Salmon River Girls Varsity Basketball Team earned many new fans this season and the entire Salmon River community...
By Shannon Burns With the urgency for Mohawk fluency continuing to grow, a new children’s book by Tom Shakokwenionkwas Porter will assist those who are trying to learn or teach the language. “Nobody Can Do It Better Than Wariso:se” or “I:iah Onhka Senha Teieio’tenhseri:io Tsi Ni:ioht ne Wariso:se” is a colorful story about Porter’s mother, Josephine “Wariso:se” and how she taught her five children the value of hard work through her own diligence and attention. Every page of the book contains...
This past Tuesday the St. Regis Catholic Church parish said farewell to its priest of more than 15 years, Rev. Edgar Belgarde S.J. At the age of 75, Father Belgarde was eligible to retire from priesthood but relies on the orders of the diocese. He turned 75 last year, but since there was no immediate priest to replace him, he remained assigned to the St. Regis Catholic Church until March 1, 2011. The next day, he moved out of the church rectory to return to his bishops for an order of retirement or a new placement. The St. Regis Catholic...
Native Optical Communications Inc., a locally owned company, is currently working towards providing high-speed fiber optic Internet service to the Akwesasne community. They are currently seeking feedback to determine where customers most need the service. “We’ve already run fiber optic cable straight up Route 37 and Rooseveltown Road,” said NOC Vice President Justin Tarbell. “We’re looking forward to other roads, such as McGee, Racquette, Cook, Frogtown and St. Regis. We can only guess where the highest demand for online service is, so if we...
Just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, Feb. 22, a 911 call was made by a male reporting a serious snowmobile accident near Lablanc’s Bay in southwestern Quebec. Akwesasne resident Calvin (Hart) Lazore, 26, had struck a tree on Little Kitten Island just south of Point LaBlanc. The Surete du Quebec (Quebec Provincial Police) immediately responded and the victim was transported to Valleyfield Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Lazore, known for his love of snowmobiling, had been out riding w...
In what month did you and your spouse first meet? If you don’t know the right answer, you would have fit right in at CKON’s Not So Newly Newlywed Game held during the 20th Annual Akwesasne Winter Carnival. The three-night game show reenactment featured real Akwesasne couples revealing all their deepest, most hilarious secrets in front of a live winter carnival audience. The game show was just one of this year’s successful carnival events that took place at the Snye Recreation (and Snye Homem...
The Salmon River Central School was closed last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday due to an accidental asbestos release. On Tuesday evening, contractors working on the school’s reconstruction project mistakenly removed light fixtures that had already been identified as part of a planned asbestos abatement (removal), according to a release from the school’s superintendent Jane Collins. Asbestos is a mineral known for its resistance to heat and fire. It was used commonly throughout the past century in homes and buildings but it is now proven to be...
