KANIENKEHAKA NATIONALISM AND TRIBAL – STATE – FEDERAL RELATIONS
The cycle of failed governance and a non-participatory citizenry in the
Mohawk Nation Territory of Akwesasne
Karla E. Kawenniiostha General
Dr. Ken Gould, Faculty Mentor
St. Lawrence University McNair Scholars Program
Indigenous peoples located within the United States struggle on a daily basis to protect their legitimacy as separate and sovereign nations and to ensure the survival of future generations. Currently, an increasing number of indigenous peoples are participating in the American political system because of the ineffectiveness of tribal governments. This study integrates issues of citizenship, government, and political participation while focusing on the inadequacies of tribal government, locally and nationally, in acquiring the essential factors of participation and legitimacy among its citizenry. A comparative analysis between the Mohawk Nation Territory of Akwesasne and other indigenous nations in their political attitudes and levels of participation attempts to identify and explain discrepancies in such behavior. By employing sociological and political concepts and various methods of research (qualitative analysis of federal, state, and tribal legislation and interviews and a quantitative analysis of voting patterns), I conclude that Akwesasronon (people of Akwesasne) fail to participate in any meaningful way in all levels of government (tribal, state, and federal) due to high levels of mistrust of external governments, in addition to viewing the tribal government as illegitimate and unrepresentative.