The St. Lawrence Seaway, constructed between 1954 and 1959, had a significant impact on the Mohawk community of Kahnawake. Located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, Kahnawake was faced with the expropriation of 1,262 acres of land for the construction of a canal that effectively cut off the community's access to the river and reduced its land base. Regarded by its members as one of the most important events in Kahnawake's history, the Seaway has become part of the everyday discourse of the community. This thesis examines two recurring themes in the discourse about the Seaway---the factionalism in the community at the time of the construction, and memories about the river---and illustrates how this event informs the present political identity of Kahnawake. The Seaway has become a metaphor for the intrusiveness of the Canadian government and the necessity of resisting any encroachment on Kahnawake's autonomy, and as such has played an important part in the development of nationalism in this community.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.33310 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Phillips, Stephanie K., 1977- |
| Contributors | Morantz, Toby (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Arts (Department of Anthropology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001781635, proquestno: MQ70618, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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