AKWESASNE, NY – The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council recently hosted the final Akwesasne Mohawk Land Claim Settlement presentation at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino & Resort. The tribal council signed the final settlement agreement at the 2nd Convened Tribal Chiefs Gathering after it passed a Tribal Council Resolution (TCR 2024-52) to agree to the settlement at the December tribal monthly meeting.
The approval of the agreement culminates 11 years of negotiations with New York State, the counties and towns, and other Mohawk plaintiffs. Negotiations were revived in 2013, when the tribe withheld its New York State compact revenue share, after receiving the devastating decision of the Sherill v. Oneida Indian Nation. The final settlement remains substantially similar to the previously negotiated 2005 settlement, that was approved by tribal referendum.
The benefits of settling include:
- Near immediate return of reservation status of 3,500 acres, plus opportunity for up to 14,000 total acres in the land claim areas
- Free tuition and mandatory fees for all Akwesasne Mohawk students attending SUNY institutions
- Right to acquire 9 megawatts of power at a preferred rate from New York Power Authority (NYPA)
- $70 million from NYPA over 35 years
In addition, settling with New York State will clear title on over 900 parcels, which have over $21 million in back taxes, penalties, and interest owed, which has burdened tribal members for decades.
“The tribal council has weighed the consequences of not settling and being ordered back to federal court, where only the Hogansburg Triangle remains, and even if we were to win, we would not be awarded the land, jurisdiction, and hundreds of homes would remain foreclosed,” wrote the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council. “The land is the most important aspect of the settlement and getting here is due to the perseverance and strength of all the former tribal council members and technicians who worked on this claim and settlement dating back to 1982.”