St. Regis Mohawk Akwesasne riverfront
— — a river that belongs to one people across three borders.
Not only on a wall.
“The riverfront of Akwesasne, Mohawk territory that crosses the St. Lawrence River where New York, Ontario, and Quebec meet. The community has held this stretch of water and island country since long before the borders were drawn through it. On the American side, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe carries the federally recognised seat. The river keeps doing what it has always done. from the studio
St. Regis Mohawk Akwesasne riverfront, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Akwesasne is Mohawk territory straddling the St. Lawrence River where the United States and Canada meet, taking in land in northern Franklin County, New York, and across into Ontario and Quebec. On the New York side, the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation covers roughly 14,640 acres along the river and its tributaries, the Raquette and the St. Regis. The federally recognised St. Regis Mohawk Tribe is the seat of government for the American portion, while the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne governs the Canadian side.
The St. Lawrence River runs about 750 miles from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Akwesasne sits in its broad upper reach, where the river opens into islands, channels, and bays. The Mohawk name for themselves, Kanien'kehá:ka, means People of the Flint; the name Akwesasne is often translated as Land Where the Partridge Drums. The riverfront is fished for sturgeon, walleye, and pike, and the community has fought for decades to protect water quality against upstream industrial contamination.
The Akwesasne Cultural Center, in Hogansburg, New York, holds a museum and library focused on Mohawk history, language, and basketry, and is open to visitors with no admission fee. The Mohawk International Raceway and the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort sit nearby on the American side. Travellers should remember they are crossing into a sovereign nation: the tribe asks visitors to respect posted access rules along the riverfront and on the reservation roads, particularly around private homes and ceremonial grounds.