Unity is not a dirty word

This past week I had the opportunity to witness a positive event at Akwesasne, which may well lead to the resolution of the tobacco trade issue.

A group of men from the Kanienkehaka Kaianerehkowa Kanonhsesne met with Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Grand Chief Tim Thompson in an atmosphere of mutual respect to discuss the movement of tobacco products across Mohawk territory.  All participants were concerned about the incident on May 27 in which the MCA police attempted to effect the arrest of a resident of Kawehnoke as that person was attempting to unload cigarettes near his residence.  The Kanienkehaka group was called to prevent the arrest with the result that the MCA officers withdrew from the area without making the arrest or confiscating his property.

But here is the good thing coming from this: rather than force a confrontation both parties agreed to leave this issue to be resolved through negotiation. The first step in this process took place when Grand Chief Thompson demonstrated tact and senility by agreeing to try and work out a peaceful solution.  He was patient and at ease, neither defensive nor argumentative. On the other side, the Kanienkehaka Kanonhsesne were firm in their position that tobacco carried from one part of Mohawk territory to another was not subject to the trade laws of alien governments and it is not the business of the MCA police to enforce Canadian statutes at Akwesasne.

The end result was a commitment to carry on the discussions leading to a community wide meeting in which the residents of Akwesasne would be asked to submit their ideas about the trade issue.

Both parties were aware that law enforcement authorities in Canada and the US were closely watching Akwesasne and would use internal conflict as an excuse to intervene on the territory, which meant the application of massive force which in turn would lead to armed resistance.

No Mohawk wants this.

The obvious solution to those at the meeting was for Akwesasne to have an effective trade and commerce statute overseeing all economic activities which rely on the collective rights of the Mohawk people.

It was also clear there was a pressing need to have a single set of civil and criminal laws for all of Akwesasne rooted in the Kaianerekowa (Great Law).  How to do this was the issue.  To reach some kind of understanding, as well as finding a way to avoid clashes with the MCA and St. Regis Tribal Council Police, the group agreed to reach out to all interested parties including the three tribal trustees. Unity, it seems, was the ultimate goal.

Twenty years ago the same situation existed at Akwesasne.  The response was to create a joint committee made up of representatives from the Mohawk Nation, MCA and Tribal Council to draft trade and commerce rules.  Along with that came the creation of the Akwesasne Justice Code, which was entirely based on our ancestral customs, as well as the Great Law. The reaction was positive for most of Akwesasne but resistance came from a few tobacco retailers who were reaping enormous profits given the regulatory anarchy at that time. The retailers succeeded in defeating the unity movement by having an anti-unity candidate elected as one of the tribal trustees in 1988.

This should not be allowed to happen again.  The current candidates for the tribal council should be elected only if they believe in Mohawk unity and have ideas as to how this may be achieved. The candidate who defies Mohawk history and ancestral law by pressing for US “trust” status in land or jurisdiction should not be give the great duty of leading the people, even those who identify with the tribe.  The candidate who seeks to obscure the real concerns of the people by offering “pie in the sky” fantasies about the illusionary riches from distant casinos should have their common sense called into question.  If the Mohawk people want real material wealth it is here, at Akwesasne, and may be derived from our waters and our geography.

If we press the New York Power Authority, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Ontario Power Group for monetary compensation for using our rivers, we won’t need casinos and the legal and environmental and ethical compromises they bring about. We won’t have to sell our legal souls to shady companies like Empire Resorts only to have them stab us in the back.  If we are wise we will call a meeting of all Mohawk communities and come up with a trade compact in which all tobacco products are regulated with the bulk of the profits going to pay for the legitimate needs of the people. If we can show we are in control how can Canada or the US stand in our way?

Economic independence is as vital to our survival as our treaty rights and our belief in our status as a distinct nation. How to realize this is obvious; now it only needs the collective will and good leadership, hence the importance of empowering those individuals who believe unity is not a dirty word.

Grand Chief Tim Thompson and the Kanienkehaka Kanonhsesne took the first steps in this direction.  It is now for the Mohawk Nation Council and the St. Regis Tribal Council to join this movement for the benefit of all Mohawk people.