A Wigwam in Brooklyn

The neighborhood we now call Boerum Hill was once nicknamed Little Caughnawaga, for the growing Mohawk community that took up residence there. As the steel industry grew and the U.S. became a world leader in steel production in the early 20^th century, Mohawk ironworkers came down to New York City from the Kahnawake Reservation just south of Montreal.  

In this episode of New York: A Portrait in Sound, you’ll hear voices of the Caughnawaga, singing a song of welcome and describing their work in the steel industry.

In the late 1800s, the Mohawk became well-regarded for their skill as ironworkers after helping build the Victoria Bridge over the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. When the bridge opened, it was the longest railway bridge in the world, and it played a vital role in connecting Montreal to the U.S. market. The Caughnawaga Mohawk’s growing skills and desire for more work would bring them to all parts of the U.S., including Brooklyn, NY.

The Caughnawaga Mohawk frequented the now-closed Nevins Bar and Grill, which became known at The Wigwam and, just a few blocks away, they attended church service held in the Mohawk dialect at Cuyler Presbyterian Church. Grocery stores began carrying a specific brand of corn meal Caughnawaga used to make a traditional Indian bread, and bars began serving Montreal ales. The neighborhood transformed around them.

From 1920-1960, many Caughnawaga would split their time between the Reservation and Brooklyn as they took more and more construction jobs, and some still do today! Mohawk workers were fundamental in the building of such landmarks as the United Nations, Lincoln Center, the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. After 9/11, Mohawk came to the site of Ground Zero to help clean up the fallen structures they had helped build and one Mohawk worker helped lower the beam that made the new One World Trade Center the tallest building in New York. 

You can read more about the Mohawks in Brooklyn here, as well as in this recent piece by WNYC reporter Stephen Nessen. 

Stickers for sale at a shop in Kahnawke.

(Stephen Nessen/Flickr)