Boats bringing supplies to Cornwall Island

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June 4, 2009

By DENISE RAYMO The Press Republican Thu Jun 04, 2009, 10:16 AM EDT

AKWESASNE — Boats are ferrying essential goods to St. Regis Mohawks on Cornwall Island while the Seaway International Bridge remains closed a fourth day.

Canadian Customs officials were pulled off their posts late Sunday as the deadline approached to start a new policy that would issue the border agents a sidearm.

The Canadian government has vowed to arm all of its customs personnel at 119 border crossings by 2016.

But St. Regis Mohawks, on whose land the customs house sits on Cornwall Island, oppose the issuance of weapons, fearing escalated tensions and public-safety concerns because of the building’s proximity to a residential area.

They are also upset that Canada did not negotiate the policy with the Mohawk leadership. It adopted the plan with no input or consultation with the Indians, on whom the decision would have the most impact.

Mohawks and their supports gathered at the customs house in protest Sunday, which prompted the Canadian Border Service Agency to close the building, citing safety concerns for its officers.

That closed the American side as well, forcing travelers to find alternate border crossings into Canada.

The bridge, called Three Nations Bridge by the Mohawks, is still open to Canadian Akwesasne Mohawks who want to walk or drive from Cornwall Island to the City of Cornwall and back again.

But Mohawks who leave Cornwall Island and come to New York are not being allowed to return to the island.

The boats now used to send goods across the St. Lawrence River to Cornwall Island are registered crafts certified by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, the governmental body on the Canadian side of the reservation.

Its leadership formally asked Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine Wednesday to help open talks with the Canadian government over the agent-arms issue.

Council members also met with St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council leaders from the American side of the reservation and the Mohawk Nation Council of Chiefs to “discuss ongoing developments and determine future steps that support our community’s opposition to the arming initiative,” according to a news release from council staff.

E-mail Denise A. Raymo at:

draymo@pressrepublican.com