Akwesasne

Akwesasne
Ahkwesáhsne (Mohawk)
Mohawk Territory
Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne
Road sign in Akwesasne
Road sign in Akwesasne
Flag of Akwesasne
Map of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne
Map of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne
Akwesasne is located in New York
Akwesasne
Akwesasne
Location within New York
Akwesasne is located in Ontario
Akwesasne
Akwesasne
Akwesasne (Ontario)
Akwesasne is located in Quebec
Akwesasne
Akwesasne
Akwesasne (Quebec)
Akwesasne is located in the United States
Akwesasne
Akwesasne
Akwesasne (the United States)
Akwesasne is located in Canada
Akwesasne
Akwesasne
Akwesasne (Canada)
Coordinates: 44°58′16″N 74°38′31″W / 44.97111°N 74.64194°W / 44.97111; -74.64194
Permanently Settled1754[1]
Government
 • LanguageEnglish (de facto)
Mohawk (official)
Area
 • Land85.89 km2 (33.16 sq mi)
Population
 • Total14,000
DemonymAkwesasro꞉non
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code span/ZIP Code
H0M 1A0 & H0M 0A1, 13655, K6H 5R7
Area codes518, 613, 343
Websitewww.akwesasne.ca Edit this at Wikidata https://www.srmt-nsn.gov

The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne (/ˌækwəˈsæsn/ AK-wə-SAS-neh;[5] French: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; Mohawk: Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk Nation (Kanienʼkehá:ka) territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ontario and Quebec) boundaries on both banks of the St. Lawrence River. Although divided by an international border, the residents consider themselves to be one community. They maintain separate police forces due to jurisdictional issues and national laws.

The community was founded in the mid-18th century by Mohawk families from Kahnawake (also known as Caughnawaga), a Catholic Mohawk village that developed south of Montreal along the St. Lawrence River. Today Akwesasne has a total of 12,000 residents, with the largest population and land area of any Kanienʼkehá:ka community.[4] From its development in the mid-eighteenth century, Akwesasne was considered one of the Seven Nations of Canada. It is one of several Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk), meaning "people of the flint" in Mohawk, territories within present-day Canada; others are Kahnawake, Wahta, Tyendinaga, Kanesatake, and the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation (which includes several subdivisions of Mohawk, the other five nations of the Iroquois League, and some other Native American tribes), founded after the American Revolutionary War.

With settlement of the border between Canada and the United States in the early 19th century, a larger portion of the territory was defined as being within the United States. The portion in New York state is known as the federally recognized St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. The portion in Ontario is referred to as Akwesasne Reserve No. 59 (Mohawk: Kawehnò:ke), and the portions in Quebec as Akwesasne Reserve No. 15 [fr] (Mohawk: Kaná:takon & Tsi Snaíhne).

The name Akwesasne in Mohawk means "Land Where the Partridge Drums", referring to the rich wildlife in the area.[citation needed]

  1. ^ John Demos, The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America, NY: Alfred Knopf, 1994, p. 224
  2. ^ a b Statistics Canada. 2007. Akwesasne (Part) 59, Ontario (Code3501007) (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, 2007. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E Archived 2020-08-24 at the Wayback Machine (accessed April 12, 2012).
  3. ^ a b Statistics Canada. 2007. Akwesasne, Quebec (Code2469802) (table). 2006 Community Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-591-XWE. Ottawa. Released March 13, 2007. http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/index.cfm?Lang=E Archived 2020-08-24 at the Wayback Machine (accessed April 12, 2012).
  4. ^ a b Bonaparte, "The History of Akwesasne" Archived 2012-02-19 at the Wayback Machine, The Wampum Chronicles, accessed 1 Feb 2010
  5. ^ The Canadian Press Stylebook (18th ed.), Toronto: The Canadian Press, 2017)