February 10, 2005

RE: Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs Press Release

 On January 30^th, 2005 the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs reached consensus to be a signatory to the Akwesasne Land Claim Settlement.  The decision to sign was not made in haste. The Council deliberated at length and only agreed to sign after essential improvements to the Akwesasne land claim were made.

 Around January 14^th, the Akwesasne land claim draft settlement undertook changes that greatly concerned the Mohawk Nation leaders.  The document began to degrade.  The leaders of the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs met numerous times to discuss the recent developments including the disadvantages of not being an active Council at the settlement talks.  The Mohawk Nation leaders, using a Good Mind and keeping the voices of the people in mind, began to strategize on how to protect the future generations, how to maintain the earlier victories that were hard fought and won, and how to determine what was needed to make the document better for the people of Akwesasne. 

The Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs agreed to return to the settlement talks providing the word “forever” was removed from the release clause and the controversial language of the January 14^th draft was returned to the language of the October 12, 2004 document that was presented to the people.  On January 28^th, the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs proposed their suggested improvements and the other two councils supported the effort. 

 On January 29^th, the State, agreed to remove the “forever” language from the release clause.  The Mohawk Nation leaders were elated by the removal of the “forever” language, for it would ease the minds of many longhouse people.  In addition, the Council learned that all but one of the controversial references was changed back to the original Akwesasne Mohawk language.  At the January 29^th, meeting the three councils continued to discuss how to resolve the final issue.  After numerous hours of discussion, the three councils were successful in drafting language that was agreed upon by all of the parties.

The leaders of the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs have done their best to secure lands for Akwesasronon, while also protecting the aboriginal claim for the future generation to bring.  The aboriginal claim does not belong to Akwesasne alone, nor can it be severed as part of the Akwesasne land claim, for it belongs to all the people of the Mohawk Nation, not just the people of Akwesasne.  The Mohawk Nation leaders sat at the table and worked hard to maintain the integrity, equality, and balance within the settlement and to keep casino and tax parity agreements from being attached to the Akwesasne land claim.  

 The signing of the agreement will take place on February 1^st, 2005, at the Capital, in Albany, New York.