New York City

Kanien’kéhaka Become the Skywalkers

The Mohawk Indians men were deeply involved in the ironworking industry and contributed to the construction of many skyscrapers and famous buildings in New York City. While the Mohawk Indians are mostly known for inhabiting Montreal, surrounding the Saint Lawrence River, many of them moved to New York City to work in the ironworking industry. They would often commute home to their families on the weekends, driving for over 6 hours, and come back for the work week. Even after the horrific Quebec Bridge Collapse of 1907, in which 75 steelworkers fell off and died—33 of whom were Mohawk Indians, they continued to work in the iron industry. Starting in the 1920s, many of them inhabited the neighborhood of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn which became known as Little Kahnawake. Between the 1950s to 1970s, Little Kahnawake was populated and thriving with Mohawk Indians. By 1997, many of them had moved away. Although there was this heightened period of Mohawk Indians, their legacy of building the New York City skyline will never be forgotten. There are still a small amount of Mohawk Indians who commute between Montreal and New York City to this day--many who are third of fourth generation ironworkers. This interactive map provides an intersection of place and time through photographs and memories, following the People of the Flint