To escape the federal election in Montreal, all you have to do is cross the Mercier Bridge. In Kahnawà:ke, a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) reserve along the St. Lawrence River, there is a notable absence of candidate posters and electoral events.
Most people in Kahnawà:ke choose not to vote in Canadian elections.
That doesn’t mean that no one cares about politics in Kahnawà:ke. On the contrary - Kahnawà:ke is home to two distinct forms of government: the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) band office, whose leaders are elected by voting, and traditional Longhouse governance, whose leaders are chosen by Clan Mothers and community consensus. Mohawk people are part of the Haudenosaunee confederacy comprising six nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. “No one in this room votes”
Right now, Taiaiake Alfred, a specialist in Kanien’kehá:ka politics and history, is leading the Kahnawà:ke Governance Project (Kgov), bringing community members together to discuss how to restore traditional government in the community. On April 9, after a Kgov meeting, Taiaiake told attendees they could share their thoughts with La Converse about voting in the federal election.
“No one in this room votes,” said a woman in the group of around 20 people to knowing laughter.
As people got up to leave after three hours of discussing how they wanted leadership to work in their community, a few stuck around to speak with La Converse.
Winona Polson-Lahache, longtime political advisor to the MCK, had a brief message for fellow Kahnawà:ke residents: “Don’t vote, it’s not your government.”
Conservatives and Liberals: “They’re all wings of the same bird”
I was reading about their big dispute(s) with Canadian border gestapo (on other Kanien’kehá:ka land to the west, kawehno:ke is what it’s called, or “Cornwall Island” according to colonizers)
They have an island that is in the middle of the river that splits the US and Canada. Used to be the Canadian border checkpoint was on their land. After some protest when Canada announced that their border agents were going to be carrying guns it’s now on the north side of the river but since Canada claims that the island is still part of the country technically if you want to visit the island from the US you have to drive through the island without stopping anywhere or turning, head to the border checkpoint, then turn around. And of course Canadians have to cross through immigration on the way back. The Kanien’kehá:ka have to deal with the border anytime they leave the island even though they’re already in Canada according to the Canadian government.
Although I don’t know if there’s any border patrols actually on the island. Like do Americans really get in any trouble if they cross and visit the island without going to the checkpoint like they legally are supposed to?