Law | Trust

St. Regis Mohawk Tribe files another land-into-trust application

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is putting the finishing touches on a new planning and infrastructure building in Akwesasne, New York. Photo: SRMT

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is reclaiming its ancestral homeland in New York.

The tribe filed a land-into-trust application for 140 acres on March 1. It follows two submissions, totaling about 78 acres, made to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in January.

"We are moving forward with the trust process to expand our territory and meet the needs of our growing community,” Chief Ron LaFrance said in a press release when the first two applications were filed.

The properties fall in a 2,000-acre area known as the Hogansburg Triangle or the Bombay Triangle. The tribe previously reached a land claim settlement addressing the region but it hasn't gained all the approvals needed to become law, North County Public Radio reported.

“The benefits of a negotiated settlement are not insignificant to Franklin County. It is our hope that the Legislature moves forward with a vote to proceed to a long-awaited settlement,” Chief Beverly Cook said in a press release “But, in the absence of an agreement, we have a duty to our people to expand our territory and return land to its rightful ownership.”

Read More on the Story:
Mohawks move to add Franklin County land to Akwesasne reservation (North County Public Radio 3/8)