The Akwesasne Mohawk reservation is adjacent to the General Motors Superfund site on the NY/Canadian border. Scientists who conducted numerous health studies on the residents concluded that Akwesasronon (people of Akwesasne) should avoid eating local fish and gardening near the site to avoid further chemical body burdens. This sudden shift in diet and activity has led to other health problems and culture loss. This dissertation project investigates the effect of environmental contamination and health research on the identity and culture of this Mohawk community, and attempts by some community members to reclaim traditional and agricultural activities. The research is focused on four areas: 1) the community's response to both the research process and the manner in which health studies results were reported back to them; 2) how Akwesasronon perceptions of their bodies changed due to the discovery of contamination, and how this can expand the current anthropology of the body 3) how an altered relationship with the environment has affected community identity and 4) on current subsistence revival efforts being implemented at Akwesasne, and their efforts to repair this altered human/ environment relationship. Semi-structured interviews are being conducted with residents of Akwesasne who have been involved in health studies and researchers who conducted the studies, in addition to interviews and participant observation with subsistence revival organizations.
