A most encouraging sign emerged earlier this week, when St. Regis Mohawk tribal chiefs endorsed the offer of negotiations with New York state to try to resolve centuries-old land claims. In a federal court decision that prompted that endorsement, District Court Judge Lawrence Kahn upheld the dismissal of tribal suits over about 10,000 acres of land owned by the United States or its citizens but claimed by the Mohawks. However, he agreed that the Mohawks have legitimate claim to about 2,000 acres known as the Bombay Triangle, to which they have ownership dating back to a treaty drawn up in 1796. That settles part of the problem, but the Mohawks still contend that they own the rest.Get the Story:
Editorial: Now let's try negotiations (The Plattsburg Press-Republican 7/11) District Court Decision:
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe v. New York (July 8, 2013)
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