Mohawk Indians evict whites from land

MONTREAL, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A group of 25 white people living on a Mohawk Indian reservation near Montreal have been given 10 days to move, band officials said.

Mohawk Council of Kahnawake spokesman Joe Delaronde told The (Montreal) Gazette letters were given this week advising the non-natives, most of whom are in relationships with Mohawks, they had to leave, although special arrangements could be made.

"We are not heartless," he said. "We know that not everyone has a brother or a parent (elsewhere) they can stay with."

Since 1981, the band has forbidden mixed marriages, and Delaronde said the goal was to preserve native bloodlines.

"We're very concerned about protecting our identity because at a certain point, the Canadian government will look at us and say: 'You're not even Indians,'" he said.

The reservation is home to some 7,500 Mohawks, the report said.

As for enforcement of the evictions, Delaronde said the names of those refusing to leave will be "published locally."