Ms. Que Banh<p><a href="https://beige.party/tags/Akwesasne" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Akwesasne</span></a> is part of the <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Mohawk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Mohawk</span></a> Nation, one of the six nations of the <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Haudenosaunee" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Haudenosaunee</span></a> Confederacy. Its residents’ <a href="https://beige.party/tags/AncestralTerritory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AncestralTerritory</span></a>, which includes Barnhart Island, extends across the <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Canada" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Canada</span></a> - <a href="https://beige.party/tags/USA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>USA</span></a> border, and includes parts of <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Ontario" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ontario</span></a>, <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Quebec" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Quebec</span></a> and <a href="https://beige.party/tags/NewYork" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NewYork</span></a> state. For decades, factories surrounding the reserve dumped now-banned chemicals into the <a href="https://beige.party/tags/StLawrenceRiver" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>StLawrenceRiver</span></a>, <a href="https://beige.party/tags/contaminating" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>contaminating</span></a> the land and water. But Barnhart Island is upstream of the contamination — the breeze is still sweet and the water is clear. And soon, Akswesasne <a href="https://beige.party/tags/TribalGovernment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TribalGovernment</span></a> may sign a settlement agreement with the State of New York, ceding its title to the island forever. </p><p>For the <a href="https://beige.party/tags/LandDefenders" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LandDefenders</span></a> who were arrested, reclaiming <a href="https://beige.party/tags/BarnhartIsland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BarnhartIsland</span></a> goes hand-in-hand with protecting what’s left of their territory that is still healthy enough for them to gather medicine, hunt, fish, conduct ceremonies and heal. They aren’t willing to sell their homeland — not for any price. </p><p>Freelance <a href="https://beige.party/tags/journalist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>journalist</span></a> Brandi Morin and <a href="https://beige.party/tags/photojournalist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>photojournalist</span></a> Ian Willms spent five days on the territory in June to document the fight for clean land.<br> <a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/akwesasne-mohawk-monsanto-barnhart-island" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">thenarwhal.ca/akwesasne-mohawk</span><span class="invisible">-monsanto-barnhart-island</span></a></p><p><a href="https://beige.party/tags/Indigenous" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Indigenous</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/NativeLand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NativeLand</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Unceded" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Unceded</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Environmental" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Environmental</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Pollution" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Pollution</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/Ecocide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ecocide</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/ToxicWaste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ToxicWaste</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/TurtleIsland" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TurtleIsland</span></a> <a href="https://beige.party/tags/CDNpoli" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CDNpoli</span></a></p>