St. Regis Tribe of Mohawk Indians v. State

Plaintiffs are the duly elected chiefs of the St. Regis Tribe of the Mohawk Indians, and have instituted this action on behalf of all the members of the tribe. Their claim is that the State of New York has appropriated, pursuant to title 1 of article 5 of the Public Authorities Law, certain ‘1 land, bed of St. Lawrence River, and water rights, including inherent and intrinsic water power in such river * * * to which the claimants allege original title which has never been extinguished”. Claimants assert “immemorial rights arising prior to white occupation, consisting of immemorial possession…