To Brooklyn and Back: A Mohawk Journey

Pictured: Reagan Tarbell

Courtesy of Mushkeg Media Inc

Mohawk filmmaker Reaghan Tarbell from Kahnawake, Quebec traces the connections of her family to the Mohawk community in Brooklyn, New York.

For over 50 years, the Kahnawake Mohawks of Quebec, Canada occupied a 10 square block area in the North Gowanus section of Brooklyn, which became known as Little Caughnawaga. The men, skilled ironworkers, came to New York in search of work and brought their wives, children and often, extended family with them. The story of the Mohawk ironworkers is an important one and is one that has been told and continues to be told through documentaries, newspaper and magazine articles. Yet the stories of Kahnawake Mohawk women who lived in Brooklyn have gone untold. To Brooklyn and Back: A Mohawk Journey airs Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 9 p.m. on WXXI World (DT21.2/cable 524).