NYS Land Claim Update

The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (MCA) is scheduling a community meeting on November 23, 2024, to provide an update on the pending proposed Settlement Agreement in the New York State land claim. After many years of negotiations, and the most recent submissions to the Judge/Magistrate, the parties have reported: 

• Franklin and St. Lawrence counties are ready to approve the settlement; 

• New York State and its agencies are ready to approve the settlement; 

• The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council (SRMT) is ready to approve the settlement; 

• The Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs (MNCC) require more time to decide on an approval; 

The Settlement agreement includes benefits for all Akwesasronon, regardless of residency, which include: 

• Free State University of New York college tuition for all Akwesasronon,  who are admitted to SUNY schools, regardless of residency. 

• The right to fish and gather on Barnhart, Croil, and Long Sault Islands, and to hunt and trap on these islands with some restrictions. 

• 9 megawatts of low-cost power that SRMT and MCA can purchase from the New York Power Authority.  

• The return of land in several areas to Akwesasne Territory, including land in the Hogansburg Triangle.

• $70 million in payments made over 35 years ($2 million per year) by New York Power Authority (NYPA) to the SRMT, MCA, and MNCC.

MCA continues to support the settlement of this 42-year-old claim, originally filed by MCA in 1982, focusing on regaining the islands. The hard work of many community members over the years has resulted in an agreement that ensures continued use of the Islands. 

In 1989, the SRMT & MNCC filed their own claim for lands and Islands, which the court combined with MCA’s lawsuits into one claim. This is the last New York State land claim, as others were extinguished by the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the City of Sherrill vs. Oneida Indian Nation which ruled tribes cannot make claims for land taken 200 years ago.  

MCA invites interested community members to learn more about the claim at a community meeting being held on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at 2 p.m. at the Kana:takon School Gymnasium. 

Additional information is available on the SRMT Members Portal. For further questions, please contact our Akwesasne Rights & Research Office at arro@akwesasne.ca or 613-575-2250.