AKWESASNE — The Franklin County Manager recently released a statement that the County along with the Towns of Bombay and Fort Covington agreed to a “settlement offer” with New York State in the Mohawk land claim dispute. This is welcomed news for the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT) since a key issue that needed to be resolved in order to reach a final settlement has now closed.
The SRMT takes this opportunity to clarify the news reports that a final settlement in the land claim dispute has been reached – that is not the case. While the June 5th announcement is indeed welcomed, and is a great development, it is not a final settlement of the land claim dispute among all parties including the Tribe. It involved issues solely between the County, the towns and the State.
As Tribal Council regularly reports in Monthly Tribal Meetings, there are very few issues left to be resolved and the Council has every confidence that the parties will reach agreement. There is still work to be done in that regard.
Tribal Council will be hosting an information session on the land claim settlement later this month, with details to be announced soon to tribal membership. Tribal Council invites membership to join the Monthly Tribal Meetings for up-to-date developments on the land claim.
