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| Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs |
| Formation | 1920s |
| Type | Indigenous council |
| Headquarters | Kahnawake |
| Location | Kahnawake, Akwesasne, Kahnawá:ke |
| Region served | Mohawk, Kanien’kehá:ka communities |
| Leader title | Grand Chief |
Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs is a traditional leadership body rooted in the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) polity, with historical and contemporary roles in community decision-making, cultural stewardship, and political representation. The council operates within a network of Longhouse institutions and interacts with regional, national, and international actors such as Assembly of First Nations, United Nations, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Government of Quebec. It claims authority grounded in Haudenosaunee Confederacy treaties, oral histories, and customary practices linked to the Two Row Wampum and the Great Law of Peace.
The council traces its roots to pre-contact Haudenosaunee governance and the role of clan-based chiefs recognized under the Great Law of Peace and later documented in dealings like the Nanfan Treaty and the Treaty of Canandaigua. During the 17th and 18th centuries Mohawk leaders engaged with figures such as Kateri Tekakwitha, Joseph Brant, Pieter Schuyler, Sir William Johnson, and institutions including the Dutch Republic, British Empire, Province of New York, and later the United States and Canada. The 19th and 20th centuries saw interactions with the Indian Act, Royal Proclamation of 1763, Jay Treaty, Walpole Island, and organizations like Indian Affairs Branch and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. In the 20th century, encounters with Canadian Indian residential school system, Sixties Scoop, and activists such as Cindy Blackstock and groups like the Native Women’s Association of Canada influenced assertions of traditional authority. The council has been part of land claims and disputes referencing precedents like Calder v British Columbia (AG), Delgamuukw v British Columbia, and mechanisms including the Specific Claims Tribunal.
The council's composition reflects clan and Longhouse principles with chiefs nominated by clan mothers from Wolf clan, Bear clan, Turtle clan, and other Mohawk matrilineal lineages. Membership intersects with elected bodies such as those formed under the Indian Act election system at communities like Kahnawake, Akwesasne, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Wahta Mohawk Territory, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, and Six Nations of the Grand River. The council interfaces with organizations and offices including the Band Council, Council of Chiefs, Longhouse, and positions such as Policing Board members, Fire Chief, and cultural officers who liaise with agencies like Health Canada and Indigenous Services Canada.
The council asserts jurisdiction grounded in Haudenosaunee legal traditions and treaties such as the Two Row Wampum and the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, while engaging in contemporary frameworks like the Constitution Act, 1867 and Canadian constitutional protections under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. Jurisdictional matters bring the council into relations with provincial and territorial governments including Government of Ontario, Government of Quebec, and federal bodies such as the Supreme Court of Canada. Disputes often reference cases like R v Sparrow and R v Powley when addressing rights to fishing rights, hunting rights, and land stewardship tied to areas such as Saint Lawrence River corridors, Lake Ontario, Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The council maintains complex relations with community governments and organizations including Kahnawake Gaming Commission, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Mohawk Council of Kahnawá:ke, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Six Nations Elected Council, and traditional bodies like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council. Interactions involve networks such as the Assembly of First Nations, Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Native Women’s Association of Canada, Grand Council Treaty #3, and transnational links with Iroquois Nationals, Haudenosaunee Nationals, and international forums including the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
The council engages in advocacy on matters including land claims, title disputes, natural resource projects like Hydro-Québec developments, and infrastructure projects such as the Seaway Project and Highway 401. It has participated in protests and negotiations alongside groups like Idle No More, Assembly of First Nations, Anishinaabe, Métis National Council, and legal advocates who cite cases including Tsilhqot'in Nation v British Columbia to assert rights. The council interacts with political leaders from Prime Minister of Canada, Premier of Ontario, Premier of Quebec, and international representatives at bodies such as the Organization of American States and United Nations delegations.
Legal status and recognition have been contested in courts and through negotiation processes involving the Supreme Court of Canada, Federal Court of Canada, and provincial courts, along with tribunals such as the Specific Claims Tribunal of Canada. Disputes concern the interplay of traditional selection and Indian Act elections, referencing precedents like R v Marshall and constitutional doctrines from Section 35. Litigation and negotiations have involved parties including Canada (Attorney General), Province of Quebec, Province of Ontario, and claimants from Mohawk community governments, led by counsel associated with firms that have argued cases before the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal levels.
The council supports cultural revitalization through Longhouse ceremonies, language programs in Kanienʼkéha, partnerships with institutions such as the Kahnawake Survival School, Akwesasne Freedom School, Mohawk College collaborations, and cultural sites like Kanehsatà:ke and Tyendinaga. Programs address heritage protection, repatriation efforts with museums like the Canadian Museum of History and Canadian Museum of Nature, elder care, youth mentorship, land-based education, and health initiatives with agencies such as Indigenous Services Canada and Health Canada. The council also engages in sporting and cultural diplomacy with organizations like the Iroquois Lacrosse Association, World Lacrosse, and cultural festivals connected to Powwow circuits and intertribal gatherings.