The members of Kahnawà:ke First Nation are Mohawk who split with the rest of their tribe in the 1660s and left the Iroquois Confederacy to live in French territory. However, they may have been predominately assimilated captives of the Beaver Wars from the Huron and Algonquin tribes.[1] In October 2024, the band had a total registered population of 11,675 members, 3,537 of whom lived off reserve.[2][3]
Geography
The band of Kahnawà:ke lives primarily on a reserve, Kahnawake 14, located 8 km southwest of Montreal, Quebec. This reserve covers an area of 4,825 ha.[4] The band also shares an uninhabited reserve, Doncaster 17, located 16 km northeast of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts with the Mohawks of Kanesatake for hunting and fishing.[5] The First Nation is headquartered at Kahnawake. The closest major city is Montreal.[6]
Governance
The Mohawk of Kahnawà:ke are governed by a band council, called Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke. Members are elected to three-year terms according to a custom electoral system based on Section 11 of the Indian Act.
Current council
Appointed in July 2021, for a term lasting until June 2024, the current chief and council are:
Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer
Ietsénhaienhs Jessica Lazare
Ratsénhaienhs Arnold Boyer
Ratsénhaienhs Michael Delisle Jr.
Ratsénhaienhs Cody Diabo
Ratsénhaienhs Bart Goodleaf
Ratsénhaienhs Lindsay Leborgne
Ietsénhaienhs Tonya Perron
Ratsénhaienhs Ross Montour
Ratsénhaienhs Ryan Montour
Ratsénhaienhs Alan John Rice
Ratsénhaienhs Harry Rice [7]
Electoral history
2018
The 2018 elections were held on Saturday, 7 July (Ohiarihkó:wa).[8]
2015
The 2015 elections were held on Saturday, 20 June (Ohiarí:ha).[9]
2012
The 2012 elections were held on Saturday, 7 July (Ohiarihkó:wa).[10]
2009
The 2009 elections were held on Saturday, 4 July at Kateri School.[11]
2006
The 2006 elections were held on Saturday, 1 July (Ohiari'kó:wa).[12]
^Greer, Allan; The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America; P. 146; 2000 Bedford / St. Marten's; ISBN 0-312-16707-5
^"Registered Population Official Mohawks of Kahnawá:ke". Government of Canada.