The Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment (ATFE) is a community-based grassroots activist organization developed to address issues of environmental justice and contamination within the Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne. Its mission is to preserve the Mohawk community's spiritual, cultural and biological integrity through activism, advocacy, and collaborative research. They achieve their efforts through projects related to political advocacy, environmental education and by conducting culturally-sensitive research to address the consequences of environmental injustices. The ATFE's influence has extended to surrounding public schools and has contributed to discussions on the introduction of Indigenous Knowledge into mainstream science curricula in the United States.
History
History of the ATFE and environmental injustice In 1954, the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway began with the intent to facilitate economic and industrial growth in upper New York State. Project developers and government administrators directly violated treaties made with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy by developing on Akwesasne land, which is culturally and historically rooted on the St. Lawrence River. During the 1950s, fostering economic prosperity in less populated areas via industrial development was not unique to the upper New York region. The political climate under Eisenhower was characterized largely by the endorsement and prevalence of technological growth and advancement. Environmental justice scholarship asserts that indigenous populations, including the Akwesasne, are disproportionately exposed to the negative consequences of these economic advancements due to their lack of political agency and perceived inferiority. For example, in the wake of the St. Lawrence Seaway construction, Eisenhower's executive assistant, John Hamlin, referred to Native Americans as a "national problem", a "less productive society" that was blocking the American vision of progress. These remarks are reflective of the Eisenhower administration's disregard for indigenous bodies and spaces, and the general attitudes of the time period that willed economic development over Native rights and voices.
In late 1950s, developers built a hydroelectric dam on the St. Lawrence River, attracting industries to the Seaway located near Akwesasne territory. Three of the major industries to join the Seaway after its construction included General Motors, Reynolds Metals, and Aluminum Company of America. These companies were situated upstream of the Akwesasne, and have collectively formed one of the largest chemically contaminated sites in the U.S. The industries contribute pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, as well as metals and organic matter. General Motors, in particular, has caused significant damage to the Akwesasne community, due to their use of PCBs in the aluminum production process. In 1978, PCBs were deemed a hazardous substance by the Clean Water Act, and banned by the Toxic Substances Control Act for their detrimental effects on human and environmental health, which have been associated with reproductive failure, liver damage, and skin disease. The EPA fined General Motors for illegal usage of PCBs, prioritizing the site as a national Superfund site. However, they failed to follow through with many of the regulations and clean-up sanctions that were promised. For example, the Akwesasne community lobbied for the complete removal of General Motors toxic landfill, located within 500 yards of tribal land. These requests were denied by the EPA and the landfill was capped instead; a less-costly but significantly less effective solution to toxic contamination. This led to the ATFE being conceived in 1987, as a means to address environmental concerns, gain political agency, and remain actively involved in clean-up efforts and decision-making processes. According to the ATFE's research advisory committee, full cultural and environmental restoration will not occur until the EPA actively collaborates with Mohawk people in decision-making and Superfund clean-up processes.
Mission statement "The mission of the Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment is to, conserve, preserve, protect, and restore the environment, natural and cultural resources within the Mohawk territory of Akwesasne in order to promote the health and survival of the sacred web of life for future generations and to fulfill our responsibilities to the natural world as our Creator instructed."
Goals and beliefs The ATFE aims to contribute to natural and cultural resources, address the environmental problems such as those the Mohawk Nation faces, and mitigate the effects of current environmental issues through sustainable practices, research, and advocacy. These goals are accomplished under a culturally relevant framework that emphasizes the sacredness and interconnectedness of the land, and the subsequent need to restore and protect it.
Specifically, the ATFE aims to:
Develop training, education and advocacy programs Address community concerns about industrial pollution from nearby ALCOA, General Motors, and Reynolds Aluminum Implement strategies to restore environmental and community health Support culturally appropriate sustainable development projects Conduct and support scientific research including sampling and testing for toxicants Network with other Native communities, environmental and legal professionals
Cultural and spiritual foundation The Akwesasne people are intimately interconnected with their environment, which for centuries has served as the basis of their spiritual and cultural heritage. The ATFE sites the St. Lawrence River as the "lifeblood" of their homeland, meaning it serves as a cultural and life-sustaining source of food, agricultural fertility, medicine, and spiritual tradition within their community.
Akwesasne rejected the Saint Lawrence waterway construction because it broke relations between them and other peoples, especially the Dutch who had an agreement called kahswenhtha. The generations long relationship with nonhuman nature was also interrupted.The Akwesasne received little compensation and no political voice in the building of the waterway due to the fact that the ownership of the land they reside on is still being disputed at the state and federal level. The Mohawk emphasize the inter-relatedness of life and actions. The construction of the waterway not only impacted the environment, as sea life were increasingly contaminated with toxins, but the community began to lose associations with their language and culture, their connection to their Creator. The Akwesasne community maintains that when the environment is mistreated, the delicate balance between the land and the people is threatened, and both experience a devastating loss.
Structure of ATFE
In 1995, the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) was developed to address the sudden influx of research initiatives within the ATFE, and more specifically to establish a structured and formalized set of guidelines to review research proposals. This was officially known as the Protocol for Review of Environmental and Scientific Research Proposals. These protocols are guided by three fundamental ideals: peace, good mind, and strength. More specifically, the Mohawk people believe that these three principles are interconnected, such that striving for peace promotes peace of mind, which in turn requires strength to develop. Collectively, these three ideals serve to create a basis for reviewing and conducting research. The ATFE, in addition, stresses the importance of equity, empowerment, and mutual respect, all principles that are central to the organization and structural functioning of the task force, and crucial to the research and collaboration process. One of the primary goals of the ATFE is to create a culturally sensitive research environment that fosters inclusion and active participation of all community members. Thus the mutual and equitable collaboration of community members, scientists, and committee members alike is prioritized in the RAC, serving to give each participant a sense of empowerment and agency. Moreover, in considering research initiatives, the ATFE makes an active effort to facilitate equal distribution of power and resources, value all perspectives and contributions, and produce research that has direct benefits for community members.
Research initiatives The ATFE participates and encourages research that is culturally sensitive and supports their environmental justice concerns, including the health effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the Mohawk Nation. To address concerns many Native Americans have over environmental hazards, the EPA has produced implements called risk assessment and risk management process. These implements were supposed to help manage the amount of toxins in the Natives' environment but they have failed the Native Americans. As such, the ATFE has committed to maintaining active involvement in decision-making processes, and has started a movement called "The First Environmental Restoration" funded by the National Institute of Environmental and Health Services (NIEHS) in order to come up with a resolution to address toxicant issues facing the Mohawk territory of Akwesasne. More specifically, "The First Environmental Restoration" is a uniquely community-based initiative that emphasizes the protection of health and traditional culture.
The fish that Akwesasne Mohawks traditionally eat are contaminated with PCBs due to General Motors, ALCOA, and Reynolds Metals spillage upstream in the Saint Lawrence River. One study evaluated 335 Akwesasne adults, roughly a quarter of the population, examining the total serum levels in the blood of Native adults and the self-reported rates of cardiovascular disease in the participants. It showed that this population had about 3 times higher background levels of PCBs when compared to the near nonexistent levels in the general US population. The study concluded that PCBs increase the cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis in P450 enzymes. Increased cholesterol and triglycerides have, in previous studies, been shown as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Along with this, the study found that body mass index (BMI) and age were significantly correlated with the PCB levels in individuals.