A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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On Jan. 17, three people left Akwesasne for a three-day drive to South Dakota with a tractor-trailer filled with donations. The trio arrived at the impoverished Pine Ridge Reservation on Jan. 20 and were greeted by different members of the Sioux, Lakota and Dakota tribes who took bags of donations with them back to their smaller communities on the country’s 8th largest reservation, and 2nd poorest. Neddie Thompson of Akwesasne and her partner, Lead Horse Choctaw, were talking with Native y...
Mohawk Sun, a private business headed by Brian White of Akwesasne, is currently seeking a loan guarantee from the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne for $7 million in order to start a solar panel plant on Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island). The plant would generate dozens of jobs and bring millions of dollars through the territory annually, according to White. White has approached MCA to ask for their support as a “co-signer” in his search for loaners and investors. The Ohwistha Capital Corporation has told...
An Akwesasne man arrested in 2010 for his role in smuggling an Irish man into the United States was sentenced last week to three years in prison. Carl Thompson, 44 was arrested on March 31, 2010 along with two others, Dennis Jocko and Nathan Sampson Martin. The three were accused of capitalizing off commercial alien smuggling by transporting an illegal alien by boat from Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island) to Akwesasne’s mainland, where he was then driven into the U.S. and brought to a business in Massena, NY. Thompson, who pleaded guilty to one c...
The Mohawk territories of Akwesasne, Tyendinaga and Kahnawa:ke united this week to formally oppose a decision to transport nuclear waste through the St. Lawrence Seaway. Bruce Power Inc., a nuclear power plant, is planning to transport 16 used nuclear fuel containers from their plant along Lake Huron in Ontario to the country of Sweden in Europe via the St. Lawrence River and seaway system. Akwesasne and numerous other communities previously opposed the plan, citing environmental fears. A union of towns and cities along the river also jointly...
This spring there may be a new sport for Salmon River Central girls to partake in, if the school board officially approves the addition. Two parents, Tisha Thompson and Shari Adams, have been generating interest and support for a girls varsity lacrosse team – something other schools in the North County have had for several years. “They’ve all been doing this,” said Thompson of schools in Potsdam, Massena, Canton and Heuvelton. “We’re so behind in times compared to everyone else. We really are.” Thompson and Adams began taking names of intereste...
Students and faculty at Salmon River Central have been working around the school’s massive expansion project for nearly two years and this week they enjoyed one of the project’s benefits. A massive cafeteria opened in the high school on Monday, condensing three cafeterias into one. The impressive new state-of-the-art addition may be just one small part of the multi-million dollar capital project, but is a major change for students and staff. “I’m half expecting everyone to break out into Hi...
The 2011 National Lacrosse League All-Star game is being played later this month at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino. The game’s players will be determined next week when public voting ends at the NLL’s website, where the organization presented their official nominees. Akwesasne’s own Mike Thompson, star goalie, is in the running. Thompson’s lacrosse career has catapulted in recent years after leading the NLL’s Buffalo Bandits to a league championship in 2008, and later leading the Peterboro...
Just before the new year, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s membership approved the appointment of Alison Benedict as the new ethics officer. Her job, as outlined in the 2007 Ethics Ordinance, is to make the members of Tribal Council (elected officials) accountable to the tribal membership. “There needs to be an agent of truth to really have a transparent process where people feel that they’re heard,” said Benedict. Benedict will receive letters of concern or complaint regarding the practic...
A program sponsored by the Akwesasne Area Management Program has had a profound impact on several community members who say they now have a new outlook on life and the self-confidence they needed to change their lives. The Personal Development and Employment Program was aimed at adults in Akwesasne who needed a boost, life change, or new direction, and had no idea how to make it happen. Ten individuals were selected for the program and they came from all different walks of life. The group is...
The Mohawk Healthy Heart Project is working diligently to spread heart healthy news and to increase awareness about heart disease. This Friday, Feb. 4, the program is taking part in the American Heart Association’s Wear Red Day, as part of American Heart Month (February.) “Every minute in our country a woman dies from heart disease,” said Nutritionist Heather Pontius. “That’s pretty remarkable.” On Friday, everyone is encouraged to wear red, and to stop by the St. Regis Mohawk Health Serv...
A pharmaceutical company in Raquette Point, Akwesasne was raided Friday afternoon by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, escorted by the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police. The DEA and tribal police said this week that they are not planning to release information on the incident until next week at the earliest. However, Loran Thompson, a spokesperson for First Nations Pharmaceuticals, said that no arrests were made and that the raid was an act of terrorism. “The facility that they attacked was t...
Plans for the 20th Annual Akwesasne Winter Carnival are growing every day and the organizing committee was recently notified that the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is donating $50,000 to this year’s milestone carnival. The normal donation from MCA is $5,000, and the carnival receives funds from the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and Akwesasne Area Management Board as well, giving it a total annual budget of between $15,000-$20,000. With the surprise $50,000 donation, the budget nearly quadrupled in size for 2011 and this year’s winter carnival is exp...
Earlier this month, a request came from inside the Tsiionkwanonsoh:te Chronic Care Facility on Kawehno:ke (Cornwall Island) that the elderly residents there wished they had a pool/billiards table. “For the ‘guys’ to put in a request such as this is truly remarkable, and since they do not ask for a lot, I would really like to help them get one!” Activity Director Teresa David said in a letter sent out to community members and published in Indian Time. Bill LaFrance, Sr., a resident at Tsiionk...
Sara McDonald, 28 of Akwesasne, recently cut off her 24” long braid and sent it to Locks of Love – an organization that makes wigs out of real hair for children undergoing cancer treatments. McDonald said she wanted to do it in honor of her great-aunt Phyllis David, who passed away from breast cancer on April 28, 2001, and also in honor of Brad Bonaparte, who passed away from esophageal cancer on June 16, 2010. “I figured that donating my hair to a little girl going through Chemo was a much...
Students at the St. Regis Mohawk School as well as any families in the community who wished to, participated in a fun, family-friendly game show designed to look and feel like a real television game show. The Brain Show is a traveling educational program that brings contestants or teams up to the stage to stand at a buzz-in podium. Sound effects, plenty of audience participation and an energetic host provided a day of unique fun for the all those who participated. The St. Regis Mohawk...
Massena Town Supervisor Joseph Gray announced last week that bringing a nuclear facility to the North Country could be the answer to Massena’s economic downturn. Although the project is still just an idea and has had no development, Gray and Massena Mayor James Hidy said they are hoping to hear public input and will go in the direction given by their constituents. Gray said no location has been determined for the project,but fear in Akwesasne is that the proposed nuclear project would be built at the now vacant GM Powertrain site in R...
Music lovers in Akwesasne and especially those who follow the Native American music industry will be treated this weekend to a performance by the fast-rising all Native DJ group A Tribe Called Red. Four DJs from different parts of Indian Country have come together to create a music blend like no other and critics are paying attention. A Tribe Called Red has been performing their “Electric Powwow” bimonthly at an Ottawa nightclub but their reputation has soared and this summer they’ll kick off a...
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s fairly new Animal Control Program has been cracking down on animal owners over the past two years and last week they announced they are now charging owners for each day their pet is held at the tribe’s animal shelter. “You have five days, and then I find a place for it,” said Animal Control Officer Jennifer Herne. The charge is $15 per day. Herne said that while she never patrols looking for stray or neglected dogs she receives dozens of phone calls a week from community members complaining about nuisance dogs. “The...
The Twin Leaf Express convenience store, diner and gas bar in Fort Covington, NY has become an issue of controversy for Ft. Covington town officials. The store’s manager, William Black, was named in a criminal summons last week ordering him to appear in town court on Jan. 11. The store’s lawyer, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, and members of the Akwesasne community disagree with the town’s belief that it has authority over the store. Twin Leaf Express is located on property that falls within the Akwesasne Mohawks’ land claim which is still in fede...
Every New Year’s Day the first baby born in any community is usually nicknamed “The New Year’s Baby” and he or she gets to keep that title forever. This year, the first Akwesasne baby born was Trent Diabo who arrived at 3:46 p.m. to mom Margaret Jock and father Blake Diabo. Trent wasn’t expected to arrive until late January but when Jock showed up to the hospital in labor that morning, a nurse heard two heartbeats instead of just one. “She thought it was an echo at first,” said Jock, 27. Joc...
The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe announced this week that they are re-implementing their home heating assistance program for the 2010 winter season. The program, initially implemented when fuel prices had soared during the U.S. economic recession, has helped community members of all income brackets stay warm through the winter. Tribal members residing in the SRMT’s jurisdiction (southern Akwesasne) are eligible to receive $700 in fuel this year while members residing outside the SRMT jurisdiction will receive $350 in fuel. Although the program has n...
The back-and-forth court battle between New York State and Indian tribes continued this past week with the latest ruling favoring (for the time being) Akwesasne and the other tribal communities fighting the state’s cigarette tax imposition. On Dec. 9, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion filed by the state that would have lifted an injunction granted previously to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. The injunction prevents New York from enforcing a cigarette tax law that requires tribes in New York to tax non-Natives purchasing major bra...
The Kawehno:ke Recreation and a volunteer committee hosted this holiday season’s annual elders Christmas party, showering nearly 100 elders with gifts, entertainment and a traditional meal. The event moves from district to district each year and is open to all Akwesasne elders. This year was the first time the party was an all-day event and the organizers planned a full agenda of activity and musical entertainment. Buck Cook emceed the party and opening remarks were given by Mohawk Council of A...
For twenty years, elders in Akwesasne have had a place in Tsi Snaihne (Snye) to call home when they’ve no longer been able to live on their own. The Iakhihsohtha Home for the Elderly celebrated their 20th anniversary Friday with a formal ceremony attended by many community members. “The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne is proud of the fact that we are able to care for our elders in our own community,” said Iakhihsohtha Program Manager Patti Adiaconitei. “(We’ve supported) 200 community members o...
Sex offenders living or working in the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s jurisdiction (Akwesasne’s southern/U.S. portion) are now required to register with the tribe rather than New York State. The tribe recently signed the “St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Sex Offender Registration and Notification Ordinance” and is now an independent jurisdiction within the National Sex Offender Registry System. In New York State and elsewhere in the United States individuals convicted of sexual offenses are required to register with authorities so that proper notific...
