'Mohawk Girls' TV show to tackle controversial 'marry out, get out' policy

The upcoming season of a TV series shot in Kahnawake takes aim at the controversial rule “marry out, move out.”

In the upcoming season of Mohawk Girls, friendships are tested and families torn apart as the characters deal with inter-cultural marriage.

An issue currently facing the native community, The Mohawk Council created a law in 1981 to ban "marrying out", and it means that residents who marry a non-native are no longer allowed to live in Kahnawake.

The latest uproar over the policy arose this summer, when the council re-issued eviction notices to about 200 people, including former Olympic athlete Waneek Horn-Miller.

The comedy Mohawk Girls aims to promote conversation and understanding, said Mohawk Girlsdirector-producer Tracey Deer.

“I hope it sparks a dialogue. Throwing away people, throwing away our own children, I hope it gives Canadians some perspective on why we are in the mess we are,” said Deer. Watch more of her interview in the video box above.

Season three of Mohawk Girls' will air on APTN this fall.