More than 50 years ago, a group of Native Americans chose to leave the reservations where they lived to form a new community near Plattsburgh. Frustrated with the overcrowding, drugs, and alcoholism they had just fled, they built their new settlement, called Ganienkeh, with the goal of following a traditional way of life.
A land dispute between the group, a nearby town, and the state led to state troopers policing the area for three years until the Mohawks and the state reached an agreement, moving Ganienkeh to its permanent home.
The story is told through the documentary, "This Land," which will be screened at the Rochester International Film Festival.
This hour, we talk with the team behind the film and residents of Ganienkeh about their remarkable story of reclaiming their land and their culture.
Our guests:
- Raiewate Herne, Ganienkeh community member
- Tyler Hemlock, Ganienkeh community member
- Darryl Martin, Ganienkeh community member
- Mike Bradley, documentary filmmaker and director, producer, and editor of "This Land"
