The debate over Mohawk identity in Kahnawake in Montreal, Canada was not on my radar until I watched the documentary Club Native, which I liked so much. I’ve recently read several articles about this issue (thanks to posts by Kendra Kennedy on H-AMINDIAN@H-NET.MSU.EDU) which I’m linking to below.
A potential reversal of the “second generation cut-off” rule which limits interracial Mohawk membership to the grandchildren of Mohawk male and non-Mohawk female unions could result in a doubling of the population in Kahnawake and has set off a flurry of eviction notices to mixed race couples. Although the above regulation seems to favor Mohawk men who partner with non-Mohawk women, one of the articles notes that even young Mohawk men are raised knowing that if they marry out, they will be made to move out. Although the idea of evicting mixed race couples or denying Mohawk identity to children of mixed unions seems inhumane and extreme, and although some Mohawks argue that the evictions are culturally incongruous since outsiders have historically been allowed to integrate into Mohawk culture, the issue is problematized by internal fears that the space and rights that Mohawks have as a group will be undermined as more and more non-Mohawks are allowed to live in Kahnawake. This battle is sad, especially having watched Club Native and the effect that these measures of exclusivity which are based on blood quantum and not other more authentic expressions of identity, has had on various people, including those who are so commited to maintaining Mohawk culture. The entire debate is also really interesting in terms of trying to pin down a sometimes nebulous label like identity which is defined in different ways by different people. I’m currently working on my thesis which discusses native dress as an aspect of identity and it’s really interesting to see the ways that clothing’s significance changes even within a given historical period and how contemporary events influence these changes. The historical nature of these types of debates are also instructive. One of the articles notes that these evictions have had occured sporadically in the past, going all the way back to at least the late 19th century. Were these types of panics resurface each time native rights were perceived to be threatened? Really interesting and difficult questions.
Hubert Bauch. “Kahnawake band council meddles in people’s love lives, critics charge,” The Montreal Gazette. February 9, 2010.
Cornacchia, Cheryl. “’If you marry out, you move out’; Evictions; Couples ‘should have known better’.” The Montreal Gazette. February 11, 2010.
Hoss, Fabrice. “Mohawks kick non-aboriginals off lands in Quebec.” Taiwan News. March 3, 2010.
“Mohawk tribe evicts non-natives.” Public Radio International. March 8, 2010.
“Federal law could boost population, add tension on Quebec reserve.” Canwest News Service, March 23, 2010.
