Season of Change

This fall season has been very exciting. The 6 Nations will gather this week to hold up and reinforce the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, a contract negotiated at the request of the young United States. In those sessions and in the signed contract our lands are guaranteed and our inherent rights, liberty and protection from State aggression are reinforced.

Yet, we still find ourselves involved in a border issue that has been boiling since before the Mitchell decision was handed down in Canadian federal court; even back to the days of Jake Fire. Mohawk leadership continues its work to minimize the effects of America’s and Canada’s border upon our safe passage across the big river. But, in these strenuous times, in true Mohawk fashion, there is humor.

Last week, fed up with the border issues, people from our community gathered and removed a border marker in St. Regis village. This marker was a constant and painful reminder that other people, other nations were determining our nationality and where we can and cannot travel. Miraculously, in this age of tight border security and Homeland security policy, not a shot was fired and not a person arrested. That action had good medicine all around it and those brave people must be applauded for their astute political statement and for their action.

Actions like those are not uncommon. In the mid-sixties a group of Mohawk men loaded acetylene torches onto a pick up truck and drove around the rezz taking down NY State signs that identified our community as Hogansburg and replaced them with signs that read Akwesasne. A small gesture, but an important one for its times. This action was completed at a time when a great resurgence was beginning that brought our traditional and political values from out of the closet where they were kept during an era when we were to be terminated. Those people should be remembered and applauded.

Last month a Mohawk family business stepped outside the box that for too long had us believing that our lands in Kentsia Kowahne were not ours to use. That the land beyond what we for too long considered our territory, is Mohawk land. The Tribe joined this family and took action, deciding that if this is our lands than it is our jurisdiction as well and extended their authority by issuing operating licenses to Twin Leaf Express. The majority of our community came out in support of this brave move and today they frequent the store. And these people are to be applauded and supported, for their beliefs turned into action.

But, not everyone is happy about this recent defining event; an event that has broadened our ability to move about our territories and extend our jurisdiction. The Akwesasne Convenience Store Association (ACSA) chaired by Justin Tarbell of the Tarbell Management Group, view this store as operating “…outside the geographical area of the St. Regis Mohawk Territory…”. But isn’t the ACSA organized to promote Mohawk businesses? Obviously not.

Jealous of the prime location of this new operation and protective of their market share, the Akwesasne Convenience Store Association has been lobbying Council to force Twin Leaf to increase its prices on key products in order to “level the playing field” between competing merchants. But this doesn’t wash.

To further justify their desire to drive Twin Leaf out of business is the ACSA’s rationale that Twin Leaf operates outside of the reservation and will therefore instigate the State into an enforcement action on cig and fuel taxes. But that is just a ploy, the tax fight with the state has been waging for decades.

Last month the Tribal Council promised to fight any State action on the Twin Leaf store and within the boundaries of Kentsia Kowahne and Akwesasne. This, by the way, begs the question that if Council is already fighting the tax fight why is Council remitting 2 of the 4 cents per gallon fuel fee back to the ACSA to fight the tax issue? Wouldn’t that 2 cents be better utilized for say, buying medical benefits for Mohawk convenience store workers or funding the Health Clinic? As it stands now, convenience store workers have no health insurance or benefit days, unemployment benefits or paid vacation. Their medical needs are taken care of by our Indian Health Service funds. In effect, Mohawk tribal members are paying for the ACSA employee health benefits. How much longer do we need to subsidize the ACSA operations?

To the Tribal Council’s credit, the Chiefs have been resisting the ACSA’s request to unduly and unfairly target Twin Leaf Express. This marks a new age of how the competing interests of the ACSA and of the Mohawk people are going to be balanced by Council. For too long the ACSA has had unrestricted access to Council in order to push their profit making and market monopoly agenda.

Finally, Council is considering lifting moratoriums put in place years ago on new business development thus allowing all Mohawks the opportunity to gain the wealth that for too long has been reserved for ACSA members. There are even discussions on changing the way fuel and cigarette businesses are regulated, this time without so much bending by the Compliance Department to the desires of the ACSA agenda.

Who knows, maybe there will be a day on the horizon where Mohawks will finally get the fuel and tobacco product discounts they deserve based on our collective tax free right and no longer be paying the same price as non-Mohawks.

Ray Cook