There are times when there's little difference between Mike Mitchell's roles as a proud leader and a proud grandfather.

Times like in May, when his granddaughter and grandson were stopped by customs agents at the Canada-U.S. border crossing on the Akwesasne Mohawk reserve near Cornwall, Ont., as they came back from the U.S. with bread and milk.

"They stripped that car right down. (My grandchildren) were scared," says Mitchell, adding the search came to an abrupt end when he showed up on the scene.

"This isn't something that's only happened recently. It's been accruing, you know. And now it's where we are now."

On Monday, Mitchell, 61, will be sworn in as Akwesasne's new grand chief. His June 27 election win came in the middle of an ongoing dispute between Mohawks and the federal government over the arming of the country's border guards -- a dispute that's led to the shutdown of the Seaway International Bridge connecting Cornwall with Massena, N.Y.

Mohawks have opposed placing guns in the hands of border guards -- a promise made by the Conservatives in the 2006 election -- because they feel it could lead to violence in the tight-knit community. They've argued guards already engage in a form of racial profiling, targeting young Mohawk men and women driving nice cars.

By electing Mitchell, the community has picked a leader who's no stranger to tensions at the border. As a young man in his 20s, he helped blockade the bridge to protest Ottawa's demand that Akwesasne Mohawks pay duty on goods purchased in the U.S.

From 1989 until 2001, Mitchell waged a lengthy legal battle over $361.64 in duty charges imposed on a carload of goods -- blankets, motor oil, Bibles, food, clothing and a washing machine -- that he brought back to Canada. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, where Mitchell lost.

He also previously served as Akwesasne's grand chief from 1982 until 2000.

"Even back then, he was always a dynamic leader," says Doug George-Kanentiio, a lifelong Akwesasne resident and former newspaper editor who writes regularly about Mohawk issues.

Mitchell, who decided to come out of retirement after being urged on by the community's elders, refused to campaign. He told a local newspaper it wasn't "in my heart" to attack his opponents.

Nevertheless, he eked out a 51-vote victory, 385 to 334, over incumbent Grand Chief Tim Thompson.

Mitchell's election signals Mohawks in Akwesasne are looking for someone with a higher national profile to resolve the border shutdown, says George-Kanentiio.

The "sensitive, low-key" Thompson was what the community wanted when they elected him in 2006 -- but now, George-Kanentiio says, the mood has shifted.

"They wanted somebody (three years ago) who was easygoing, nice to get along with, diplomatic, that kind of thing," says George-Kanentiio.

"When this crisis happened, I think they decided they preferred somebody who had more of a national presence, and was perhaps more of a powerful speaker in public. And Mike is that."

Akwesasne straddles the Canada-U.S. border, as well as the border between Ontario and Quebec. Mitchell has been elected grand chief on the Canadian side.

The Canada Border Services Agency shut down its post, which sits inside Akwesasne, on June 1 after border guards expressed concerns about their safety.

A small group of protesters on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory near Deseronto, Ont., tried to show their support by blockading a nearby bridge, but Akwesasne leaders denounced the barricade.

George-Kanentiio, who's known Mitchell for four decades, says that there's no reason to believe Akwesasne's stance on unsanctioned blockades will change under his leadership.

"Not with Mike. He'll be very clear about that, that anything that happens without the express approval of the Mohawk leadership will be actively dissuaded," says George-Kanentiio.

Given his resume -- which includes an unsuccessful run for the leadership of the Assembly of First Nations -- there's likely a "fairly lengthy file" on Mitchell in Ottawa, says Cornwall Mayor Bob Kilger.

"He's someone who's obviously well-known, well-respected," says Kilger. "I think that was part of the attraction to electing him."

As for how to resolve the border impasse, Mitchell says there needs to be serious meetings between Akwesasne officials, the Canada Border Services Agency and Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan.

Mitchell says he's already had a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with the border agency, during which the two sides came to "crucial agreements" on how to begin negotiations.

He says one solution could be to permanently maintain a Mohawk police substation that's been temporarily set up near the border, staffed with officers who are trained to use guns.

"People understand in our area why we take such a hard stand. And they support us. But they also want to see this matter (resolved)," says Mitchell.

"I've committed myself thoroughly to be the grand chief, and to do what I need to do -- especially on this issue."