A Mohawk Perspective on the Cross-Border Movement of Tobacco: “We didn’t put that border here”

by David Sommerstein (Reporter/Asst. News Director) , in Akwesasne

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To some non-natives, Akwesasne is synonymous with contraband and smuggling. The reputation outrages Mohawks themselves. As Reen Cook, the morning show host and local celebrity on the reservation’s radio station CKON, says, “we didn’t put that border here. They did.”

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Since then, national media in both countries have published stories with titles like “smugglers playground” and “contraband capital.” After 9-11, some media outlets erroneously reported that terrorists had entered the U.S. through Akwesasne.