[1] Established by an occupation of Mohawk warriors in the late 1970s, it is a rare case in which an indigenous people reclaiming land from the United States succeeded.
The land dispute (as Altona residents and government objected to the Mohawk claim of sovereignty) has not been fully settled.
[4] The action was related to rising Native American activism, and specific land claims being filed against New York State by separate nations of the Iroquois.
As allies of the defeated British, they had been forced to cede their historic lands to the state after the American Revolution, but the US Senate had never ratified the treaty, making it invalid under the constitution.
At the same time, the founding of Ganienkeh was related to Mohawk local issues, as some families wanted to leave the reservation environment.
[1] The people claim that the Two Row Wampum (Guswhenta) guarantees Ganienkeh the right to exist as a sovereign entity within the international community.