Akwesasne

Akwesasne Ahkwesáhsne (Mohawk)
Mohawk Territory
Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne
Road sign in Akwesasne
Flag
Map of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne
Akwesasne Location within New York Show map of New York Akwesasne Akwesasne (Ontario) Show map of Ontario Akwesasne Akwesasne (Quebec) Show map of Quebec Akwesasne Akwesasne (the United States) Show map of the United States Akwesasne Akwesasne (Canada) Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 44°58′16″N 74°38′31″W / 44.97111°N 74.64194°W / 44.97111; -74.64194
Permanently Settled	1754[1]
Government
• Language	English (de facto) Mohawk (official)
Area [2][3]
• Land	85.89 km2 (33.16 sq mi)
Population [2][3][4]
• Total	14,000
Demonym	Akwesasro꞉non
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code span/ZIP Code	H0M 1A0 & H0M 0A1, 13655, K6H 5R7
Area codes	518, 613, 343
Website	www.akwesasne.ca

The Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne (/ˌækwəˈsæsneɪ/ AK-wə-SAS-neh;^[5] French: Nation Mohawk à Akwesasne; Mohawk: Ahkwesáhsne) is a Mohawk Nation (Kanienʼkehá:ka) territory that straddles the intersection of international (United States and Canada) borders and provincial (Ontario and Quebec) boundaries on both banks of the St. Lawrence River. Although divided by an international border, the residents consider themselves to be one community. They maintain separate police forces due to jurisdictional issues and national laws.

The community was founded in the mid-18th century by Mohawk families from Kahnawake (also known as Caughnawaga), a Catholic Mohawk village that developed south of Montreal along the St. Lawrence River. Today Akwesasne has a total of 12,000 residents, with the largest population and land area of any Kanienʼkehá:ka community.^[4] From its development in the mid-eighteenth century, Akwesasne was considered one of the Seven Nations of Canada. It is one of several Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk), meaning "people of the flint" in Mohawk, territories within present-day Canada; others are Kahnawake, Wahta, Tyendinaga, Kanesatake, and the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation (which includes several subdivisions of Mohawk, the other five nations of the Iroquois League, and some other Native American tribes), founded after the American Revolutionary War.

With settlement of the border between Canada and the United States in the early 19th century, a larger portion of the territory was defined as being within the United States. The portion in New York state is known as the federally recognized St. Regis Mohawk Reservation. The portion in Ontario is referred to as Akwesasne Reserve No. 59 (Mohawk: Kawehnò:ke), and the portions in Quebec as Akwesasne Reserve No. 15 [fr] (Mohawk: Kaná:takon & Tsi Snaíhne).

The name Akwesasne in Mohawk means "Land Where the Partridge Drums", referring to the rich wildlife in the area.^{[citation needed]}