Kahnawake Grand Chief Mohawk Council Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer

Kahnawake’s first LGBTQ2S+ woman Grand Chief to focus on healing first

“I don’t think there’s any family or one person who was not impacted by the effects of Indian residential schools.”

Just prior to Canada introducing its first Indigenous Governor-General, Kahnawake made history by electing their first woman Grand Chief of the Mohawk Council, Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer — who is also the first openly LGBTQ2A+ person to hold the position. After sitting as a council chief for 12 years, Sky-Deer will assume the role last filled by Joe Norton, who died last August.

After her election over the weekend, Sky-Deer said that as Grand Chief she aims to develop an economic strategy that will, among other things, create better jobs and housing in Kahnawake. Given recent revelations about residential schools in Canada, Sky-Deer want to focus first on healing in her community.

“I don’t think there’s any family or one person who was not impacted by the effects of Indian residential schools, be it if our grandparents attended, parents might have attended, family members… so we’re all trying to pull together and band together in light of this,” Sky-Deer told CTV. “We could start to do activities in our culture, spiritually, ceremonially, to lift the spirits of our people in our minds so that we can be ready for the work in the challenges ahead.”

Kahnawake’s first LGBTQ2S+ woman Grand Chief to focus on healing first

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