Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Kenhtè:ke
Indian reserve
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Indian Reserve
Novelty statue at the Mohawk Plaza on Highway 49
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Location in Southern Ontario
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Hastings
First Nation	Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte
Settled	1784
Formed	1793 (official deed)
Area
• Land	71.06 km2 (27.44 sq mi)
Population  (2016)
• Total	2,525
• Density	29.9/km2 (77/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Code	K0K
Area code(s)	613
Website	www.mbq-tmt.org

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is a special area of land for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation. It is called an Indian Reserve. This territory is in Ontario, Canada, located east of Belleville along the Bay of Quinte. Tyendinaga is close to where an old Mohawk village called Ganneious used to be.

History of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory

Early Times

The official history of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte says that Tyendinaga was the birthplace of The Great Peacemaker. He was a very important person who helped create the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Some people think this happened in the 12th century, while others suggest it was in the 15th century.

The 1700s

For much of the 1700s, the land that became Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory was home to the Mississauga people.

In 1784, Mohawk people began to settle here. They had to leave their homes in Fort Hunter, New York after the United States won the American Revolutionary War. The British gave up their land in the Thirteen Colonies to the United States, which included the Iroquois lands. Most of the Iroquois nations had supported the British.

The leader of the Fort Hunter Mohawk was John Deserontyon. He was a Captain who fought with the British during the war. At first, other leaders and British officials did not agree with his choice of location. However, the Crown (the British government) did grant part of this land to the Mohawk along the Bay of Quinte.

On May 22, 1784, about 20 Mohawk families, around 100 to 125 people, arrived in the area. They traveled by canoe from Lachine, Quebec. Every year, people remember this important arrival with a special event.

The settlement grew during the 1780s. A teacher was sent, and a schoolhouse and church were built by 1791. In 1788, more Mohawk leaders, Kanonraron (Aaron Hill) and Anoghsoktea (Isaac Hill), joined the community. They came from another settlement because they did not like how much influence Joseph Brant had there.

After many requests, the Mohawk at the Bay of Quinte were given a large piece of land by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe on April 1, 1793. This was written in a document called the Simcoe Deed, also known as Treaty 3 1/2.

Towards the end of the 1700s, some disagreements happened within the community. Isaac Hill challenged Deserontyon's leadership. The community solved these issues in a meeting in September 1800.

The 1800s

In the early 1800s, the Mohawk people often complained that the government was allowing white settlers to lease their land. This land was promised to them in the Simcoe Deed. The Mohawk were not getting any money from these leases, which were mainly for cutting timber. John Deserontyon passed away in January 1811.

After the War of 1812, more non-Indigenous settlers came to the area. Some people worried that the Mohawk community included settlers of German and African descent, as well as Americans.

From 1820 to 1843, the Canadian government allowed United Empire Loyalists (mostly white Europeans) to settle on the Territory. This happened even though the Mohawk repeatedly asked the government to remove them. By 1843, two-thirds of the land was privately owned. This included a large piece of land sold around 1836 to John Culbertson, John Deserontyon's grandson. This land later became the town of Deseronto, Ontario.

Since the 1830s, the Mohawk have said that the sale of that large piece of land to Culbertson was not legal. This disagreement is part of a land claim called The Culbertson Tract Land Claim.

In 1843, the Mohawk built a church called Christ Church. In 2004, Elizabeth II named it Her Majesty's Chapel Royal of the Mohawk. It is one of only six Royal Chapels outside Great Britain. This church replaced an older wooden one built in 1794.

"The Pines", Dr. Oronhyatekha's home in Tyendinaga, around 1909.

In 1860, Oronhyatekha came to teach at Tyendinaga. He later studied at the University of Oxford for a few months. He returned to Tyendinaga in 1863 and married Deyoronseh (Ellen Hill). His home in Tyendinaga was called "The Pines." It was a large, fancy house where only the Mohawk language was allowed to be spoken.

In April 1871, Oronhyatekha became the doctor for Tyendinaga. His wife's family owned an island in the Bay of Quinte, which Oronhyatekha renamed Forester's Island. He built two homes, cottages, a hotel, and a wharf on the island. He also started building an orphanage there in 1903. Oronhyatekha died in March 1907.

The first election for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte band government happened in October 1870. The first meeting of the elected council was on December 10, 1870. The "chiefs" on that council included Sampson Green, Archibald Culbertson, and William J. W. Hill.

In the 1880s, four Federal Indian Day Schools were built: Eastern, Western, Central, and Mission. These schools were connected with the Anglican Church of Canada.

The 1900s

During World War One, the Canadian government set up Camp Mohawk in the territory. This was a training airfield. First Nations men training there were encouraged to speak their Indigenous languages during their observation duties. This was a form of code talking, where their language was used as a secret code. The airfield later became the Tyendinaga (Mohawk) Airport.

Changes in Education

The Mission Indian Day School closed in 1956. The Quinte Mohawk Indian Day School opened on September 1, 1960. It was a federally run day school, meaning students went home after school, unlike residential schools where students lived there. It taught students up to Grade 8.

In the 1960s, First Nations people worked hard to take control of their children's education. They wanted to set up and run their own schools. They felt their children had been forced to forget their native cultures and languages.

By 1971, the Mohawk people at Tyendinaga Territory were able to build a new elementary school. This school, called Quinte Mohawk School, opened in September 1974 with about 230 students. It replaced the older, overcrowded day schools.

The First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) was started in 1985. It is a college owned and controlled by Indigenous people on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. Many First Nations have created such colleges to provide higher education for their members.

The old Quinte Mohawk Indian Day School closed on September 1, 1997. It was later part of a lawsuit called the Federal Indian Schools Class Action Lawsuit. This lawsuit aimed to get money for former students who suffered harm in federally run schools.

The 2000s

In February 2008, Health Canada told the council to put a warning on all water wells in the Territory. This was a "boil-water advisory," meaning people should boil their water before using it. This advisory was still active in March 2019.

2020 Railway Protest

In February 2020, people from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory joined protests across Canada. They were showing support for the Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs, who were against building a pipeline through their land in British Columbia.

On February 6, people from the Territory blocked a railway by parking vehicles near a crossing. This forced Via Rail and Canadian National Railway (CNR) to stop train services for almost a month. On February 21, some Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs met with Tyendinaga Mohawk people. They showed their support for each other.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) eventually told the protesters to leave. On February 24, the police stepped in and arrested several protesters. By February 27, 2020, ten people were facing charges because of the protest.

COVID-19 Pandemic

The Tyendinaga Mohawk Council took action when the World Health Organization announced the Coronavirus disease 2019 as a pandemic. Starting March 13, 2020, they put in place several health rules. Council employees could not travel outside the community, and all programs and March Break activities were cancelled. Schools and child care programs were closed, and cleaning measures were increased.

Other government offices also closed non-essential services. On March 20, the Council suggested that local restaurants close their indoor dining areas and only offer take-out or delivery. They also encouraged businesses to clean more often and keep customers a safe distance apart.

These efforts helped control the pandemic in the community. The first case of COVID-19 in the Territory was not confirmed until November 5, 2020. The first death from COVID-19 happened on February 19, 2021.

After a positive case was found on the Mohawk Bus Line, Quinte Mohawk School switched to online learning from February 23, 2021. High school students were also asked to stay home for a few days so that contact tracing could be done.

Community Facilities

The main buildings of the reserve are along York Road. Here you can find the band administration building, Quinte Mohawk School, and the Kanhiote Public Library.

Education

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is home to the First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI). This institute works with other colleges and universities to offer courses. FNTI has programs in Aviation, Law, Public Relations, Indigenous Community Health, and the Mohawk language. They even partner with the Tyendinaga (Mohawk) Airport for their aviation programs.

The Territory also has a primary school, Quinte Mohawk School, which opened in 1974. For high school, students living on the reserve can go to East Side Secondary School in Belleville. They can also attend the Ohahase Learning Centre, a private high school run by the First Nations Technical Institute. Ohahase means "new road" in the Mohawk language.

A group called Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na (TTO) works to keep the Kanyen'kéha alive. TTO means "keeping our words alive." They have cultural education programs, including a language immersion school for young children. TTO started in the 1990s because the Mohawk language was becoming endangered in the Territory.

Since 2018, TTO has worked with Queen's University to offer a Mohawk language and culture certificate program. In 2020, TTO helped republish children's books written in the Tyendinaga dialect of Kanyen'kéha. In January 2021, TTO launched a website and cartoon series called Learning with Tsitha to help children learn Kanyen'kéha.

Transportation

The territory is connected to Ontario Highway 401 by Ontario Highway 49. Highway 49 runs north and south through the reserve. The Tyendinaga Mohawk Airfield is just west of Highway 49, north of the Bay of Quinte.

Media

Tyendinaga has a First Nations community-owned radio station called KWE, Mohawk Nation Radio. It broadcasts at 92.3 FM. It covers the area from Belleville to Deseronto.

Another First Nations community radio station in Tyendinaga broadcasts at 87.9 MHz. It is known as "Real People’s Radio 87.9 FM."

The community does not have its own newspaper.

Population